Seriously, these days, no matter where I turn to, there is somebody contracting some form of bacterial infection that turns out to be pretty serious. At the beginning of the new year, a 20-year-old perfectly fit Brazilian model died of what appeared to be a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. As far as I know, polymyxins should work like a charm. Sadly, her life ended after enduring the amputation of her limbs and a nephroectomy procedure in an attempt to save her. And now again, rumor has it that Michael Jackson contracted a MRSA infection following a nose job.

Where did the antibiotics go? Is the bacterial resistance way ahead of us that we can’t even keep up? In a field study conducted amongst fellow neighbors & relatives, many did infact admit that they go rushing to their local pharmacies demanding a prescription of antibiotics for a mild flu or a fever of 38 degrees. Not that that is worse enough, they don’t comply to the pharmacist’s orders “if he did infact give an order” to administer it for the full course of the medication.

This should be a warning sign…an alarm triggering off right about now. Developed countries are already facing these problems, we shouldn’t be lingering around. Public awareness campaigns, maybe similar to those concerning the bird flu being aired these days, ought to be held. Our community is in desperate need of our expertise to guide, inform, and advise them about the consequences and potential threats at stake here.

“The window is closing and we’re coming to the end of the antibiotic era,” said J. Glenn Morris Jr., M.D., who heads the division of hospital epidemiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, College Park, MD. This was in 1999.

Can we really beat antibiotic resistance? or are bacteria getting the best of us?

Have you ever heard about the terrorist attacks of anthrax via mail in 2001 in US that finally ended with Bruce Ivins, the chief suspect in those attacks, committing suicide?

What about tracing microbe sources as in the Salmonella US outbreak?

This is microbial forensics.

Microbial forensics uses biological analysis such as genome sequencing, protein and carbohydrate fingerprinting to figure out the source of a biological agent. 2001 was not the year which witnessed the emergence of microbial forensics. Actually, in 1998 a doctor from Louisiana, who intentionally infected his former mistress with HIV, had a trial in court. But the anthrax attacks were really the reason for the amplification of the role of microbial forensics as it was followed by government funding and developing the sequencing techniques into more cheaper ones.

As a result, microbial forensics is extrapolated to further applications beyond biocrimes. In molecular epidemiology, it will help figuring out the source of food or water borne diseases such as in recent US Salmonella outbreak. The field also is expected to provide help in hospital-acquired infections. Many people sue hospitals every year claiming they got MRSA (methicillin-resistent Staphylococcus aureus) infection from a certain hospital. Tracing the source of the infection will prove whether those people really contracted the infection from the hospital or from any other outside source.

Image source

Reference: Ontogeny

It is something like a dream, Marijuana, which is known in Egypt as “Hashish “, is used now as an antibiotic.

Marijuana is a herb planted in many countries as middle east eastern, Europe & Africa.

It is ingested by smoking, which quickly delivers active ingredients to the blood system. Marijuana has analgesic, anti-emetic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, anti-convulsive, and laxative actions.

Also, it is used in chemotherapy to relieve nausea & vomiting and for AIDS patients as stomachic.

Scientists tested five major active ingredients called cannabinoids on Different strains of MRSA “methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus“.

Both natural & synthetic cannabinoids show germ killing activity against MRSA.

These active ingredients exhibit antibacterial activity in a different way, meaning that they might be able to bypass bacterial resistance.

At least two cannabinoids “out of 5″ can be used safely without causing mood alteration.

MRSA like other Staphylococcus spread by contact, so people of close contact are of high danger.

Finally, researchers in the Journal of Natural Products call for the further study of antibacterial uses of marijuana as it is too difficult to find new antibacterials since unfortunately, bacteria became resistant to them.

Source : Web MD