Could China's antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" threaten global health?

Beware the coming onslaught of Chinese superbugs: "Studies in China show a 'frightening' increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus bacteria, also know as MRSA . There are warnings that new strains of antibiotic-resistant bugs will spread quickly through international air travel and internation food sourcing."

• [Anonymous]

  European expats? Western disease?

• [Nylund]

  I broke my toe a couple months ago and went to the ER. A couple days later I came down with a case of MRSA in my arm. It hurt like hell and scared the crap out of me watching it spread from my elbow eventually engulfing my entire arm as drug after drug failed to do anything to stop it.

  It made me extremely weary of hospitals.

  • [gollux]

    Weary and wary…

    Reminds me of a story I once read where the Detective has an aversion to hospitals because people get sick and die there.

• [nicknz]

  This is unsurprising. Doctors in China prescribe antibotics for everything, including antibiotic drips often for the common cold. To make things worse they prescribe very short courses encouraging patients to come back every 2 or so days for more meds and pay them for a follow up consultation. This is comon in Taiwan too.

  • [gollux]

    China = 1950s US and Europe but with newer technology.

    They’re having to relearn everything we already know. Sad.

• [febryle]

  ~50% of US hospital S. aureus strains are methicillin-resistant already, and the rates of community-acquired MRSA are skyrocketing. I don’t know that Chinese Staph is any worse or different than our own. Stay away from hospitals and avoid unnecessary antibiotics.

  • [Snig]

    Febryle: appropriate name for a commenter on this subject.

    Yes it’s really bad here too, but antibiotics aren’t available OTC. And I believe there agricultural system is less regulated than the US. Likely other nations too, not just US and China. Takes exactly one superbug to evolve and spread, and that can happen anywhere. This may be a good reason to become vegetarian, or at least go organic. I’m neither now, but this may be a good reason to switch.

• [ill lich]

  “We all got it coming, kid.” — William Munny, The Unforgiven

• [mrsa]

  It’s awful what MRSA can to do people. Check out some of these pictures of what it did to for UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman:

  http://www.staph-infection-pictures.com
  — WARNING: graphic pictures

• [Anonymous]

  One more reason to get out of China?

• [Anonymous]

  i have had recurring staph since 2001 it is painful and in my case the most successful treatments have been natural cures the staph can’t build a resistance for. epsom salts baths, lavender, and nori seaweed compresses. calendula gel honey etc… i am prone to these infections since i got one in the hospital a few years ago good luck anyone who has them these infections are dangerous and easy to pass.

• [lewis stoole]

  sounds like a buying opportunity!!!

• [Patrick Dodds]

  It is always somewhere else isn’t it? Here in the UK it is, or has been, German measles, Mexican Pig Flu, Spanish Influenza….

• [Lady Katey]

  I cringed. Most of my family work in hospitals (either nursing or IT…) and I know that MRSA is bad news. Real bad news.

  And Snig, you don’t have to eat it to get sick. It’s commonly found as a skin infection.

  • [Snig]

    Yes, MRSA is a skin (and nose) infection, but my not well explained reference was to unitentionally incorporating antibiotics into the diet from sloppy dosing in agriculture. A friend years ago who was doing HPLC was able to take milk off the grocers shelf and isolate antibiotics from it. This was in the US. I believe it was ampicillin, but this was fifteen years ago, so I may misrembering it. If the population in general is getting low doses of antibiotics in their food supply, multiple resistant bacteria are getting selected for. If it’s less regulated in China, it’s more of a problem.

• [gollux]

  Get your daily dose of melamine, MSRA and cadmium. And for the vegetarians, try our new and improved grown-in strain of E. Coli and Salmonella, double the bang for your buck!