Farmers are closest to the land and their livestock, and have everything to lose by not taking care of it.
Paramedics bury a man who died of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode, southern India, in May 2018. There is no vaccine for the virus, which can cause raging fevers, convulsions and vomiting, and kills up to 75 per cent of people infected.
(AP Photo/K.Shijith)
As new viruses “jump” from wildlife to humans and we struggle with antimicrobial resistance and even climate change, a new interdisciplinary approach to human health might just save the day.
And don’t infect everyone else in the office either.
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A new type of antibiotic uses DNA to fight a common deadly microbe, Clostridium difficile. These new drugs are inexpensive and adaptable and can be modified to target any bacterium, lowering the chance of drug resistance.
Research shows potential for delivering our drugs in ways that would make it harder for antibiotic resistance to evolve and spread. Here we see a close up view of a biofilm of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
(Shutterstock)
Rees Kassen, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
As a post-antibiotic future beckons, how can humanity protect itself against the proliferation of superbugs? Research suggests ‘drug sanctuaries’ in hospitals could be a promising solution.
A giant ant carries a dead fellow in the name of cleanliness.
Dupont/Wikipedia
A study that shows GPs are prescribing about five million too many antibiotic scripts a year means we have to take a radical new approach to reducing use of these drugs.
When commemorating our troops, doctors and nurses this Anzac Day, consider also tipping your hat to the discovery of bacteriophages. In the post-antibiotic era, our health might just depend on them.
Estuaries are natural filtering points between freshwater and the ocean where pollutants tend to accumulate.
Stephane Mahe/Reuters
Unless we do something about about antibiotic pollution in the world’s waterways, the next trip you take to the coast for a seafood dinner just might be your last.
People mainly think of GPs over-prescribing antibiotics, but ubiquitous use in farming and other areas also contributes to resistance in bacteria.
Reuters/Brian Snyder
Consultant Microbiologist, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland and Professor and Head of Department, Clinical Microbiology, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences