Science — the kind that requires evidence and reason.

[PopeBeanie]

I just watched a Matters Microbial episode on MicrobeTV, which for me, added an enlightening perspective on gain of function research.

Antibiotic over-prescriptions are already proven to be a dangerous way to cause pathogenic bacteria to evolve resistance to treatments. Some doctors still prescribe them for “just in case” scenarios, and patients often don’t finish taking their antibiotics when they start feeling better.

I.e. the use of antibiotics turns patient care into a laboratory that incidentally promotes Gain of Function in bacteria.

I realized this while watching this awesome episode on bacteria phages, which are viruses that prey only on bacteria. I start the hour long episode more than halfway in, and it’s not important to watch any further than their discussion on gain of function:

[TheEncogitationer]

PopeBeanie,

I realized this while watching this awesome episode on bacteria phages, which are viruses that prey only on bacteria. I start the hour long episode more than halfway in, and it’s not important to watch any further than their discussion on gain of function:

Wait…Don’t watch all of a video about a medical regimen that has to be completed to work effectively? 😄😁

Myself, I’ve always completed an antibiotics prescription per instructions and never had an occurance or recurrance of infection.

The importance of antibiotics is emphasized by the fact that 16 million people were cured of Leprosy from 1994 to 2024 by antibiotic treatment. The number now afflicted is only 200,000, quickly going the way of smallpox. Maybe if we get over this recent patch of anti-science hysteria, Leprosy will only be known of in scary Bible stories.

• This reply was modified 8 months ago by TheEncogitationer. Reason: Removing spa needless definite article
• This reply was modified 8 months ago by TheEncogitationer. Reason: Putting the article in the right place

[TheEncogitationer]

PopeBeanie,

Another thought on this: If they’re killed off fast enough, the bacteria aren’t around to evolve.

[PopeBeanie]

TheEncogitationer wrote:

Another thought on this: If they’re killed off fast enough, the bacteria aren’t around to evolve.

Yes, absolutely. Just a side-note, elsewhere in that video they were also discussing how to terminate pathogens with a “cocktail” approach, which is applying more than one treatment at once in order to kill faster, leaving them significantly less time to evolve defenses.

I did watch the whole video and found it all interesting and exciting, but I try not to get all glossy-eyed excited about the whole of these things in front of others. In fact I listen to these kinds of podcasts at night in bed, audio only, which usually puts me to sleep when the science goes over my head, but this is one that kept me awake. (And I’ll be linking this one to the daughter who’s an ag consultant.)

I should also mention, because of the hate for vaccines in Trumpistan, some kids will be left out of getting the same covid vaccines that seniors are eligible for. Kids WILL die because of this, as those statistics were already proven during the pandemic. So what researchers and doctors are now doing is planning the cocktail approach to treating (at least) unvaccinated kids. Paxlovid is one example, even though (I think) its cost is expected to explode now. Other treatments would also be simultaneously or in sequence added to Paxlovid. (Like Remdesivir iirc.)

One must hope (and pray, in some cases) that morbidity and mortality will be sufficiently tracked, and reported. Ditto for other Trump Era diseases.

[Author]

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