MICROBE MOST WANTED LIST

So, we all have heard of the FBI’s most wanted list. Now, the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) has comprised a list of the most deadly microbes. The Superbug hit list was designed in hopes of prioritizing efforts to make antibiotics against these now drug-resistant microbes. Topping the list is the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It’s the Usama Bin Laden of the microbe world, lurking in hospital sinks and possibly water vases. It’s the cause of most hospital-borne infections, but recently outbreaks have been seen in prisons, military facilities, and schools. Researchers in Britain believe that MRSA could even be living and breeding in water amoebae often found in things like flower vases and open drinking water containers.

The list is one of many tactics of the ISDA to urge policymakers and pharmaceutical companies to put more effort into finding new antimicrobial drugs, and follows a 2004 report on spurring research and development of new antimicrobial drugs. In the report, ISDA proposed that lawmakers should grant tax breaks to companies who pursue this work. Researchers feel that the superbug crisis has yet to reach a point that would make policymakers take notice.

All I can say is ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS!