9/20/2016 Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria First response due by 9/27, response to 3 or more peers due by 10/3Read NowHunting the Nightmare BacteriaThis assignment is counting as attendance for 9/27. Your participation is needed for attendance and a grade.
1. Watch Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria video on youtube.com (56 minutes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE4VzFz9PPo 2. Respond the following questions: a. Is this the kind of world you want to live in? b. Should government invest in the development of new antibiotics? Why or why not? c. What does antibiotic resistance show about the relationship between bacteria and humans? 3. Read and give a thoughtful response to 3 or more peers from class. (You may need to go back to see if they respond back.)
58 Comments
Margo Martin
9/20/2016 03:39:48 pm
Hunting the nightmare bacteria is terrifying
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Melissa McCarthy
9/27/2016 11:48:48 am
Q: Is this the world you want to live in?
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Ali Cunio
9/27/2016 01:30:06 pm
Melissa, I agree with you in the first question. Especially when this is the field you want to be in. It would be very scary to be a part of this and scary to think it could happen at your place of work in the future. Knowing there isn't anything to help these people right away is a scary thought, and its even scarier not knowing when there will be a cure!
Sally Weston
10/1/2016 02:11:03 pm
Melissa,
Zachary Clough
9/27/2016 03:31:08 pm
Question A: No this is not the type of world I want to live in, seeing how fast this young girl was engulfed with disease and bacteria is actually very scary. Antibiotic resistance is something that I knew about but didn’t realize how serious this was, having one of your only hopes to get well being a medicine you can build an immunity to just sounds like it would make it too hard for someone to persevere. This little girl is amazing.
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Melissa McCarthy
10/3/2016 08:34:33 am
I agree with your answer in question 2. If anything were to happen which would cause harmful bacteria to grow at an epidemic rate the US and its citizens would be for lack of a better word... screwed.
Jared A. Lee-Baustert
9/27/2016 03:53:49 pm
Question: Is this the kind of world you want to live in?
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Brian
9/20/2016 08:16:59 pm
O.K. so I just watched this and it is indeed terrifying.
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Margo Martin
9/22/2016 05:02:00 am
I could see how cat videos would be in order after this movie. I agree that it truly is unnerving.
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Ford
9/27/2016 07:25:29 am
You're right to say that it's something that won't hold interest unless it's found to be profitable, so sadly things may have to get a bit worse before they can truly become better. But hopefully this will end up in a similar way to how the AIDS/HIV scare happened, where it'll become the thing to study and learn more about.
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Jared Lee-Baustert
10/2/2016 07:53:26 pm
Its crazy to think that no one is really "safe" when it comes to who can be infected by bacteria at any point and time. I did the assignment right before I was about to go to bed, probably not the best last thoughts to have on my mind before I fell asleep. I tried to wash the thought away with comedy central but the thought of possibly getting infected by a deadly bacteria has been implanted in the back of my head.
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joie comeau
10/3/2016 08:07:09 am
I really like how you added in about how you are curious with how other parts of the world are doing with this type of stuff. I would find that very interesting myself. Many of us travel around the world and most of the time we have no idea about all the bacteria or diseases we are bringing in and taking back home as well.
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David
10/3/2016 08:22:48 am
I looked around online for more information on how it effects the rest of the world. The gram-negative bacteria can cause plague( I couldn't find the specific plague it caused), cholera, and typhoid fever. These infections aren't common in the US, but do thrive in countries affected by war, unsanitary water and food supply, etc.
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brian
9/22/2016 07:05:36 pm
addressing it globally?
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Margo Martin
9/23/2016 05:50:10 am
I never considered the WHO. I always think of them being a reactive organization rather than a proactive one. I suppose we are at a point of reactivity but I also envision them as being the sweep in and sweep out kind of agency. It would be interesting if they could develop a department that could focus on antibiotic development with a global governing body. It is a good idea.
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Brian
9/23/2016 05:36:10 pm
Well if anything this is getting me to do some googling and learning some of the stuff that's out there. Here's the first thing I came across:https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do
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brian
9/23/2016 08:31:03 pm
Real quick I'll also add an example maybe you were getting at earlier. That example would be how HIV is really no longer a death sentence like it was 20 years ago here...but in many parts of Africa it continues to be a serious problem with staggering rates of infection and lacking the resources (mainly financially) to treat. Yes, I believe health care is a human right and it hope that we can strive to make it a priority on a global level.
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Margo Martin
9/26/2016 05:05:06 am
I absolutely agree with you. I wish we would make it a priority in the States and globally. It seems that it has been too much of a political matter but I will avoid that direction of conversation.
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Ford
9/24/2016 10:32:48 am
Sadly it's not a choice as to whether or not it's a world we want to live in, because we already do live in it. But personally, I don't mind if I have to live in it. Because as someone who wants to become either a doctor or a surgeon, it'll give me something new to try and treat and research.
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Margo Martin
9/26/2016 05:08:54 am
Your comment that with being a doctor or surgeon, these plight we are facing today with bacterial resistance will give you something new to treat or research is true. I believe that as long as we use antibiotics to treat bacterial infections we will be coming across bacteria that have immunity to them. This is a never ending race.
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samantha
9/27/2016 09:46:25 am
If you were in the position as these nurses, would you blame yourself for the deaths that were increasing overtime from the bacteria? what if you couldn't find a treatment and couldn't come up with any more ideas and would you be able to stay calm in the situation?
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Katie
9/27/2016 10:15:47 am
Samantha, I was thinking the same thing. I know I would blame myself if I were in the nurses positions. My heart broke for them as their story unfolded. This is something that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Margo Martin
9/28/2016 06:11:09 am
Those are really good questions. It is hard to stay calm when it seems we can do no more. I think that is why we see riots when difficult situations arise.
Jared Lee-Baustert
10/3/2016 08:48:11 am
Samantha If I was in the nurses position I would feel one hundred percent responsible to for allowing the bacteria to spread throughout the hospital. Sometimes when a person is running around to wipe down ever surface to keep everything as clean as possible we sometimes forget to do the simple things, such as wash our hands. Even that could help the bacteria spread.
Chelsea Polhemus
10/3/2016 10:33:46 am
I am not an expert in this field at all, but I think more preventative actions should be discussed, acted on, and finalized throughout every hospital that can potentially receive fatal, life-threatening bacteria.
Sally Weston
9/25/2016 12:44:17 am
As a mother, let me start by saying this video scared the S&*t out of me! To know that it's not even your own personal use of antibiotics that affect you but that the bacteria it self is resistant to it is beyond terrifying!
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Margo Martin
9/26/2016 05:12:53 am
I agree that this is a scary video. I also think it is a great wake up call for people that misuse or abuse antibiotics, doctors that over prescribe them, farmers that use antibiotics to keep animals that are overcrowded and improperly raised that they need to change their ways. There are so many contributing factors at play here but there is also the truism that bacteria would evolve and gain resistance regardless but at a slower rate.
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Sally Weston
9/26/2016 10:39:43 am
Maybe a different criteria for doctors when prescribing antibiotics? I know my friends pediatrician was telling her to treat a fever of 100 and seemed to put her son on antibiotics every time he was sick so much so that he is immune to a few antibiotics and has to take immune booster because he has no immunity since he wasn't allowed to have fevers.
Ford
9/27/2016 07:30:01 am
Although bacteria can be a threat, it can also be something that is beneficial as well, such as helping us digest and break down food products. But, after this video, as a mother. You can also teach you kids as they grow up that antibiotics aren't a cure-all to abuse, and help pass on the lessons you learned.
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Sally Weston
9/27/2016 08:47:20 am
I replied on my phone earlier but I think something went wrong with it. So I apologize if this posts twice.
Katie
9/27/2016 11:59:35 am
I definitely agree that education is an immensely crucial aspect in trying to fight this epidemic. Education for not only our prosperity, but also, in our medical staff. We all can be our own advocates. I grew up with several nurses in my family and was taught that it is not always necessary to jump to medications (I can't tell you the number of times we were told that we were fine and to go back to class. Lol.) Along with holistic alternatives, I was my mother also stressed the importance of following through with medications when properly prescribed. (A lesson I had to relearn sort of the hard way recently.) Unfortunatly, not many have had my background knowledge. This is why I intent to pass such knowledge onto patients when I am in the position of educating them from a nurse's stand point.
Margo Martin
9/28/2016 06:13:49 am
Good point. This video showed the scary aspect of bacteria but without them there would be no life on our planet.
Chelsea Polhemus
10/3/2016 10:39:28 am
I completely agree with you on letter B. Our government needs to continually discuss the allocations about funding for antibiotics. These antibiotics are something that people will always need, and it's important that the government is always aware of this situation.
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Katie Brokus
9/25/2016 03:40:01 pm
Holy Superbugs, Batman!!! This is some incredibly scary stuff.
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Margo Martin
9/26/2016 05:19:42 am
Did the medical professionals indicate if they are experiencing an increase in resistant bacteria? MRSA is the one most commonly talked about but there are others that are equally scary such as syphilis and gonorrhea. Many people in the past died from complications associated with syphilis. Today people take for granted that they can just get a shot if they are irresponsible. That might be changing. We could be returning to a by gone age when we are susceptible to death or amputation for infections that we take for granted today.
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Katie
9/27/2016 11:19:52 am
MRSA is only the first example that I could think of in my experience.. There are far more than just that. I have seen quite a number of cases, but I haven't been a the hospital for a long time. I do fear that we are coming into an age where the risk of amputations and possible death because of infections. I also, do not think that we, as regular American citizens, would want to take a proactive position on this issues because we have become very compliant with our medical technology. We have so many resources and options available to us that many in other countries do not necessarily have access too. This even includes our neighboring countries, such as Canada
samantha
9/29/2016 07:48:47 am
To add to the part where you had said you don't see this happening, i'm almost positive he didn't see it coming either as well. I mean he could've expected something like that to be happening there because of the low hygiene, but he wasn't informed as to why he had to have a surgery everyday, and why they had to cut his leg off. there could have been a chance that they could have sewed his leg back on to heal but the bacteria was to dangerous to do so, and he had no idea until they finally told him. things we may never expect, can in fact happen to us and that's a very scary thought.
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Sally Weston
10/1/2016 03:30:58 pm
Katie,
David
9/26/2016 10:55:25 am
I wouldn’t say it was my ideal living situation, but I think that as time goes on we’ll learn more about these gram negatives, and how to contain and treat them. I don’t think we took Alexander Fleming’s warning that the bacteria was already showing signs of resistance seriously, and we wasted these antibiotics giving them out too frequently. As we continue on with our lives, we need to be careful of how we give these antibiotics out.
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Sally Weston
9/27/2016 08:59:46 am
It is very scary but it shows that even taking every precaution we know, nothing stopped this bacteria. I was impressed with all the precautions they took with that said I wasn't surprised that the bacteria still spread.
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Ali Cunio
9/26/2016 01:56:43 pm
A. I wouldn’t say this is the kind of world I was want to live in. Obviously no one can choose or not choose to live in this kind of life. Like the video said this could happen to you, or someone very close to you. Even if you have the mind set and say “this is never going to happen to me” it can, and its not something you can predict or a choice but it will be something you might have to live with.
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Margo Martin
9/27/2016 04:59:27 am
I am seeing that everyone thinks that the government thinks that the government should do something about the lack of effective antibiotics but as the video showed it takes millions of dollars to create a medication that has a limited shelf life and little ability to recoup the investment. How is the government able to rationalize such an expenditure when we cut funding to so many other life sustaining programs?
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Sally Weston
9/27/2016 09:10:27 am
Definitely a great question. Maybe if the governemnt declared this a real threat and brought global awareness to it maybe it would force drug companies to step up to the plate. The problem I think is that although people are told, we are unaware of the real danger and how this is closer than we think. Definitely something to ponder for sure. It is sad to me to think that drug companies aren't working on this because it's not profitable and they have the been there done that attitude with antibiotics....just one more example with how out of touch we are and where our priorities lie.
Ford
9/27/2016 07:32:53 am
I agree, especially since some illnesses are caused by bacteria that's already in our bodies either running rampant, mutating into something no one expected, or even just transferring into an area it shouldn't go to.
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Katie
9/27/2016 12:11:16 pm
Good point, Sally. We often tend to turn a blind eye on those types of threats. How can we expect our government to figure out some way to prevent this when so many do not view the ever mutating bacteria as a threat? I believe we should not only depend on the government to help fix our problems, but also, learn to do what we can from the bottom up starting in our neck of the woods, our families, our practices.
Jared Lee-Baustert
10/3/2016 09:48:45 am
Is there really anything that we would ever be able to do to actually cure a bacteria so strong and deadly such as the ones we saw in the video? If we can become ill from the bacteria in our bodies and some bacteria are evolving and being capable of resisting antibiotics will we ever be able to win the race? It seems as if we're chasing something that will cannot beat.
joie comeau
9/27/2016 07:02:40 am
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Katie
9/27/2016 12:17:15 pm
I don't necessarily think that we should trying to spit out as many new antibiotics as we can because this is sort of what got us into this situation in the first place. I believe our perceptions should have to shift to more education and research than just spitting out as many "cures" as we can. I agree that fault does not lie solely in the government.
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joie comeau
10/3/2016 08:11:53 am
I agree with you there. I just wish it was so much more easier to create a cure than what it really is. Obviously if there were more cures, everyone would be healthy and diseases would not exist. I definitely think that everyone should be educating themselves on this topic so we can find some sort of solution.
David
10/3/2016 08:39:19 am
I think the government should dedicate some of the budget to fighting these gram-negatives. The government should start on this research sooner rather than later, because this problem will just continue to grow, to look at another problem that escalated quickly look at Zika. They didn't start research until more and more cases started popping up.
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Melissa McCarthy
10/3/2016 08:39:36 am
Joie,
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Chelsea Polhemus
10/3/2016 11:05:36 am
It was amazing to see how much these bacteria do spread, as they are invisible and we do not know much about them.
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Chelsea Polhemus
9/27/2016 07:58:05 am
a. Is this the kind of world you want to live in?
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joie comeau
10/3/2016 08:16:46 am
i completely agree with you on what you said for C. It definitely something that will never disappear no matter how clean we think places or ourselves are. It's scary to think about how healthy you can be and still attract and catch something.
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Samantha
9/27/2016 09:39:53 am
To answer question A, this is not a kind of world I would like to live in. as Brian said, who would want to live in a world like that? Everywhere you go, you have to worry about all your surroundings and how cautious you have to be around every little bit of bacteria, if you have just a little cut that is a slight bit open, you are open for this disease. If you need to go to the hospital for any kind of sickness you are open for this disease, showing it spread throughout the hospital. The outbreak was voluminous and incredibly dangerous, the worse part about it was the antibiotic resistant medicines that all had an impact on the disease and it just couldn’t be treated, they had no idea how it was spreading, just from one man who brought it there and was isolated at that. That would be a scary life to live in. Imagine being one of those patients and knowing that they don’t have a cure yet and you’re at a high risk for death, the most they can say is that they’re trying.
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Ali Cunio
9/27/2016 01:36:50 pm
Samantha, I like what you said for the second question. Of course they should keep trying for a new antibiotic to help all these people theres no question there. But your right when you talked about who to blame? I dont really think there is anyone to blame, its no ones fault that this is something that cannot be cured right now. The more people who try and try and spend the money on a cure the closer they are to not blame the innocent nurses who are blaming themselves for this horrible thing happening. and the more people who can keep there jobs by not getting accused of this.
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samantha
9/28/2016 07:48:05 am
the saddest part is the guy who brought the bacteria to the hospital had to sit in guilt thinking it was all his fault, but in reality how would it be his fault? he didn't choose to get run over by a train and take his time to help these children. As they said in the video, they found the bacteria in the patients that had been there before they even knew it. so you're 100% correct, it's no ones fault. so giving up on them would be like not helping cure a cancer that no one can avoid getting. it'd be wrong to just let them suffer, instead of trying for new cures. even though they may not be working they are still trying, and eventually something has to kill the bacteria, but first find ways to stop it from spreading, not just to other patients but the bacteria inside the patients. It's a difficult situation to be in.
David
10/3/2016 08:51:22 am
@samantha, I like your point of we carry things that we don't even know exist. I also think the relationship between humans and bacteria is that we, and the bacteria adapt to our surroundings. As the germs spread from person to person, they get stronger especially if one of those people take antibiotics. They still carry some form of the germs, and if you gave it to the next person it is a more antibiotic resistant bacteria.
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AuthorMargo Martin is a biology teacher with Dover High School and Dover Adult Learning Center. Archives
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