GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

22-09-2004, 03:15 PM

wrote:

the genes for antibiotics have existed for millions and millions of years.
the genes for resistance to antibiotics have existed for millions and
millions of years.

no argument

many other things are also responsible for resistance:

no argument.

Most people used to die in hospitals from infections aquired in hospitals
if not from what brought them to the hospital and didnt spread them
around.
antibiotic resistance is a multi-factor problem.

Absolutely no argument.

The WORST OFFENDERS, incubators and
spreaders of superbugs are the people in hospitals. because they dont

Absolutely. Talk to my cousin (a nurse), our aunt caught MRSA _twice_ in a
British hospital, and my cousin blames the nursing staff in the hospital.

nobody gets vancamycin OTC and STILL there are bacteria resistant to this
antibiotic. they didnt mutate to get this resistance, the genes were

More straw men. I've never once claimed that the bugs mutate to gain
resistance. However, you and I have both mentioned that bacteria _do_
mutate quite readily. It's not the issue.

there are always
mutations of existing genes going on, and sooner or later there are going
to be bacteria make a gene that is mutated and resistant to every new
antibiotic...

And indiscriminate use of antibiotics results in leaving the available gene
pool smaller, and more weighted with the genes that are resistant to that
antibiotic.

you want to stop the spread of superbugs??? get the hospitals to start
checking the hands of their people and institute a required washing of
hands before touching a patient.

Again, no arguments, see above. With respect to ponds, the corresponding
rule of thumb is to make sure your water quality is the best you can make
it, and your fish will rarely get sick.

back to salt. yes. my fish probably have salt resistant bugs on them
since many of them they came from Prices koi farm and therefore I wouldnt
think of using salt as a
"treatment". I would say even one fish with salt resistant bugs will pass
them to all fish in the pond so basically nobody should be using salt for
treatment. since it is useless for treatment it is much better for it to
be used as a
prophylactic since it is excellent in this capacity. Ingrid

That's not even remotely logical. If it isn't useful for treatment, it's
even less use as a prophylactic.
--
derek