Move Over MRSA...
/Right now there are very few antibiotic treatments for these newer "super bugs" that just happen to be gram negative. Imagine having another infection, the one that is a nuisance but ends up killing you. It's happening today -- something like a simple UTI taking your life. It's unthinkable. Doctors see gram-negative infections among patients who are already very ill. Might be babies in the NICU, very old patients, patients who've just had surgery, burn patients in the ICU, for example. Gram-negative bacteria can enter the body by way of catheters, IVs, ventilators or wounds. And the drugs to treat them are few and far between. Keep in mind MRSA started in the hospital. Same for this new category.
If you are like my many friends, as soon as you get a sniffle or UTI, you head into the doctor's office to get a round of antibiotics. Stop... do you really need them? OK, I try not to blame the lay public for this. I blame the physicians. Stop giving in to the patient and find out if they really have an infection before giving them an antibiotic for a virus. Like with MRSA, not overprescribing antibiotics; that's how these bacteria learn how to adapt and become less treatable.