Antibiotic Resistant Disease Is Killing Humans
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is no longer the stuff of science fiction or fantasy. It was recently announced Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) is killing people in Denmark, and the number of infected patients jumped 50 percent last year. Health officials said the bacteria is being transmitted to humans through pigs, and the increased use of antibiotics in agriculture may be behind the spread of the resistant strain!
What are ESBLs? Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBLs) first discovered in the mid-1980s, are actually enzymes produced by certain types of bacteria which renders the bacteria resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat them. At the time they were mostly found in the species of bacteria, present in hospital intensive care units.
Until recently few people were affected by these mutated bacteria, but according to the British Health Protection Agency (HPA), a new class of ESBL (called CTX-M enzymes) has emerged, which are now being widely Read More This Post ...
