The rise of resistance

You may be familiar with the current issue of anti-microbial and pesticide resistance in medicine and agriculture, but what you may not know is that the emergence of resistant “superbugs” is a systemic and worldwide problem that is shaking the status quo and forcing some conventional drugs out of the picture.  While scientific bodies seek large-scale solutions for the growing threat to the health of our world, you as an animal healthcare professional, can help in your own way.  Your alternative therapies can enter the picture and contribute to the fight! 

Here are the facts:

• Superbugs are microorganisms or pests that have adapted resistance to the drugs and pesticides used to fight them
• The problem of resistance has grown to include that of crop pests, fungi, and bacteria.
• Since their creation, the few most effective and easily-produced drugs were mass-produced and extensively used.  Other solutions and combatants to the microbes were largely ignored in favor of these drugs.
• Resistance to these drugs has sent scientists around the world back to the drawing board to find drugs with new modes of action to combat these microorganisms.
• A few recent intriguing articles in our online resource library describe this struggle, specifically in fungi and pesticides as well as the underlying genomics behind their adaptations.
• What can you do?  As healthcare professionals, you can encourage the use of alternative therapies with new modes of action as you treat the problem holistically.
• Team up with us and learn more about this and many other topics from the literature in our resource library, which is completely free for members!
  

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Authored by Marie Wiemann

Marie Wiemann grew up in San Luis Obispo county with a passion for learning about, caring for, and enjoying animals. She stayed local to obtain her B.S. in Animal Science from Cal Poly SLO in 2017 and, shortly after graduation, joined the RAHU team to help them build their resource library. She will continue to work with RAHU as she begins vet school at UC Davis this fall.