Superbugs

What are superbugs?

A superbug is an organism that developed resistance to antibiotics. An obvious problem with superbugs is that antibiotic don’t work, so it’s up to the individual’s own immune system to fend off the disease. Organism continue to develop resistance, including organisms like Bordetella pertussis and Mycoplasma genitalium. With more and more superbugs developing, there is the danger of losing the effectiveness of antibiotics. The CDC states that in the U.S., there are more than 2.8 million cases of superbug infections- the availability of working antibiotics is an imminent problem. Losing antibiotics is like going back in time to when even a minor wound can get infected and be life-threatening.

Superbugs in farm animals

We are about to lose to superbugs because of inappropriate use of antibiotics in farm animal production. Antibiotics are used to treat sick animals, control sickness in animals, and prevent sickness in other animals. In addition to its use in sickness, farmers use it for promoting growth and feed efficiency in animals. There is no regulation against such abuse of antibiotics. The label “antibiotic free” does not mean that the animal does not have any antibiotic-resistant organisms- the animal can carry superbugs in its guts. This is not a label approved by the USDA.

Drug-resistant Shigella in humans

Aside from farm animals, Humans can also carry gut superbugs. A drug-resistant strain of Shigella sonnei was reported in December 2019. This drug-resistant Shigella was found in 172 male and 12 female patients in Australia. Testing shows that this strain is resistant to all oral antibiotics. Shigella is mainly spread through sexual practices so please practice safe-sex.