Month: September 2022

FDA POWERLESS IN FACE OF FOOD INDUSTRY. "The FDA has long held -- since 1977 in fact -- that administering low doses of antibiotics to livestock, as is common among Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), was inappropriate, yet they continue to pander to the drug industry and are allowing the practice to continue." http://lnkd.in/dQReGiz View in LinkedIn

HORIZONTAL GENE TRANSFER in bacteria is a key reason for the promiscuous spread of traits like antibiotic resistance. This genetic mechanism amplifies the presence of these genes in the bacterial gene pool and can introduce them into the food chain. These genes have even been found in deep and very isolated cave habitats. Since bacteria are everywhere, this is probably of lesser surprise. View in LinkedIn

"HORIZONTAL GENE TRANSFER (HGT) is the primary reason for bacterial antibiotic resistance, and plays an important role in the evolution of bacteria that can degrade novel compounds such as human-created pesticides and in the evolution, maintenance, and transmission of virulence." http://lnkd.in/dm2dpWP View in LinkedIn

POLICY DOCUMENT ON HGT by the Organization for Economic Development (OECD), representing 33 member countries including USA, Europe, Asia and the Pacific to arrive at a consensus view on hot topics. With the hot button being antibiotic marker genes in GMOs and the strong differences in viewpoints, it is not surprising this was a watered-down document. http://lnkd.in/dxSwnaG View in LinkedIn

BACTERIAL ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE. "It may take the form of a spontaneous or induced genetic mutation, or the acquisition of resistance genes from other bacterial species by horizontal gene transfer via conjugation, transduction, or transformation. Exposure to an antibiotic naturally selects for the survival of the organisms with the genes for resistance." http://lnkd.in/dN4CXhv View in LinkedIn

ANTIBIOTICS KILL THE MICROBIOME both in our guts and in the soil. It has been widely acknowledged that antibiotics in early life increase the chance of asthma and other conditions later on. Similarly, these drugs also kill the good microbiome in the soils, impoverishing the plant symbionts, and at the same time increasing antibiotic-resistant strains View in LinkedIn

BACTERIOPHAGES (Phages) have been used as antimicrobial control drugs in Russia for over 75 years. They are very specific for their host, do not infect human cells, and have a very long safety record. The problem from a US regulatory issue is that they evolve with their hosts. However, they represent the single biggest hope to get out of the antibiotic crisis. View in LinkedIn

FLU VACCINES change annually as the flu virus mutates to avoid immune surveillance, and offers a regulatory pathway for phages. The FDA problem is needing a defined drug, rather than a mixture of drugs that evolve over time. Russia solved this regulatory issue. Shouldn't we? View in LinkedIn

PHAGE ANTIBIOTICS are the subject of a future series of blogs. It is a fabulous and optimistic topic, but a diversion in this current stream of consciousness. It dovetails with our entry into the world of living drugs. View in LinkedIn

LIVING DRUGS are the future of medicine. We went from (1) single small molecule drugs to (2) monoclonal drugs made by the body, (3) to stem cells, (4) fecal therapy with the microbiome, and sometime in the future, (5) phage drugs. Each new stage in the class of drugs is an increase in efficacy. View in LinkedIn