Back to the Future: Countering the Rise of Today’s “Superbugs” – UM Today

Dr. Ayush Kumar investigates antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water on First Nations reserves

May 8, 2017 —

Imagine yourself in the dark days before the discovery of penicillin, when there was no effective treatment for infections such as pneumonia, gonorrhea or rheumatic fever. Back in a time when blood poisoning from a minor cut or abrasion could be enough to cause death, while doctors could do nothing but stand by and hope for the best.

Unlike most of us, researcher and Associate professor of Microbiology Dr. Ayush Kumar doesn’t have to imagine those times. Nowadays, he regularly sees evidence of our slide towards an era akin to the pre-antibiotic age. “It is starting to happen now. A very recent incident [occurred] in Nevada where this woman picked up an infection and the organism … was resistant to all 26 antibiotics, so she ended up dying.”

Read More: http://news.umanitoba.ca/back-to-the-future-countering-the-rise-of-todays-superbugs/