People are a little freaked out about a recent deadly superbug outbreak in Los Angeles.
But what are superbugs?
And why are they such a problem?
Hey everyone Julia here for DNews
The recent outbreak at a UCLA hospital was caused by a strain of carbapenem-resistant
Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE.
According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) CRE can lead
to death in up to half of seriously infected patients.
CRE is a kind of superbug, a bacteria that evolves resistance to most antibiotics.
Hospitals tend to be the epicenters of superbug outbreaks.
The combination of high use of antibiotics and lots of sick people pack into one place,
seems to be a breeding ground for them.
Some bacteria aren’t transmitted all that easily, they're not like a cold which can
travel on a sneeze.
Caregivers like nurses, can spread bacteria through touch.
But let’s say a nurse, touches a wound or stool sample of an infected person and they
don’t wash their hands enough.
Then they touch another patient, who is already vulnerable because of their own wounds or
weakened immune systems.
Sometimes super bugs can live on an instrument, like an endoscope, which is properly cleaned
between procedures.
It seems this is what went wrong in UCLA.
Caregivers didn’t realize the patients carried CRE and normal sanitization methods weren’t
enough to kill it.
From the discovery of penicillin in 1928, we lived in a golden age of treatment for
bacterial infections.
These drugs saved millions of lives.
But scientists fear this hayday is coming to a fast end.
Bacteria have evolved faster than we can keep up.
It’s become an arms race and we’re losing.
We are now defenseless in the face of certain strains of bacteria.
According to the World Health Organization, one of the most common superbug MRSA, is 64%
more deadly than non-resistant strains of the bacteria.
Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Health Security says “the world is headed
for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries which have been
treatable for decades can once again kill”.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria is a growing epidemic, according to the CDC, mostly because
too many doctors over-prescribe antibiotics and patients don’t use them properly.
We’re also exposed to antibiotics that are overused in farm production.
Unfortunately research into new antibiotics has been slow.
In the past 30 years, there has only been one promising new antibiotic class.
Recently, researchers from Northeastern University identified a potential new antibiotic found
in dirt in a “grassy field in Maine”.
In tests, the compound, teixobactin, killed off a ton of bacteria, even ones that are
currently resistant to most antibiotics.
But it’s still a few years away from reaching patients.
At least there’s some hope.
So what do we do in the meantime?
For the strains frequently found in hospitals, it’s crucial for caregivers to wash their
hands often and sterilize equipment properly.
Doctors need to prescribe antibiotics only when necessary.
Antibiotics don’t work for viruses, which cause things like the common cold and flu.
As for what you can do, don’t take antibiotics unless prescribed and take the whole course
of them to make sure you’ve killed them all.
Maybe reduce your use of antimicrobial soap, too.
In 2014 Minnesota banned the use of antimicrobial soap citing some health concerns including
the rise of resistant bacteria.
If you want to learn more about how antimicrobial soap might be a problem, check out Trace’s
video here
So are you scared of super bugs?
Let us know in the comments below.
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to hit that like and subscribe button and keep
coming back for new episodes every day of the week.