How Has The Superbug Evolved?

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Recommended: Research on antibiotic resistance

The Super Bug is a strain of bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotic drugs. This particular bacteria has become immune to any antibiotics or medicine. Because of this reason, this bacteria has become very difficult to treat. If this bacteria infects a human body, then it might cause serious health conditions and even death. This Superbug has evolved over the past years and has become even more dangerous. Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that is abundant in many places. It can even be found in some of our bodies. These bacteria are harmless as long as none of them are Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methicillin is the name of a family of antibiotics that includes penicillin. This MRSA is the deadly superbug that has developed resistant to antibiotics. Statistics show that MRSA contributes to more US deaths than does HIV. It has become a huge threat to every country as the outbreaks can be a surprising one. This threat is caused by the evolution of the bacteria. These superbugs have evolved a resistance of antibiotics which makes them extremely difficult to treat. One article states, “In the early 1940s, when penicillin was first used to treat bacterial infections, penicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus were unknown — but by the 1950s, they were common in hospitals. Methicillin was introduced in 1961 to treat these resistant strains, and within one year, doctors had encountered methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Today, we have strains of MRSA that simultaneously resist a laundry list of different antibiotics, including vancomycin — often considered our last line of antibacterial defense.” [1] Furthermore, one way the MRSA have evolved is through horizontal transfer. Horizontal transfer occurs whe... ... middle of paper ... ...Confirmed in Hernando High School." TBO.com. Tampa Media Group, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. . Bibliography  Haney, Janice. "Superbug, Super-fast Evolution." Superbug, Super-fast Evolution, Apr. 2008. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. .  Reinig, Matt. "Two Cases of MRSA Confirmed in Hernando High School." TBO.com. Tampa Media Group, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. .  Thilmany, Jim. "Swatting the superbugs." Mechanical Engineering-CIME Mar. 2013: 10. General Science Collection. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. < http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA325174722&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_77_tevth&it=r&p=PPGS&sw=w&asid=e3b465a4bc4ed55f079c4c31fb5b129a>

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