Toxic Avengers: The Antibiotic Effect

We all know that bacteria and viruses loiter everywhere, and that the number one way to avoid getting contaminated is to wash, wash, wash. America's germ-phobic ways have consumers buying all things antibacterial. These antibacterial cleansers act on the same principal as antibiotics -- wiping out all germs in their path. In theory, that seems like a great idea, but just as antibiotics are creating new strains of ultra-resistant bugs, so too are antibacterial washes. Unbeknownst to most of the public, antibacterial products don't even prevent the spread of infectious disease. Yet the market for them is still flourishing. What's more, the Centers for Disease Control claims the proliferation of antibacterial cleansers may even compromise the development of a healthy immune system.

"When people talk about super bugs, they're normally talking about bacteria that have become resistant to a lot of antibiotics, almost to the degree where we're running out of medicines with which to treat them," says Rial Rolfe, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

It's possible that eventually we may get to a state where there are bacteria that cause infections for which we don't have any antibiotics. Rolfe says we've seen antibiotic resistance ever since penicillin was introduced in the 1940s. But there were so many other antimicrobials being developed that when infections became resistant to penicillin, pharmaceutical companies came up with other antibiotics. "That's worked well for 40-plus years, but now we're really running out of chemical structures that can be developed to eliminate these resistant bacteria," he says.

How Did It Come to This?
Topping the list: overuse of antibiotics. Even today, some parents insist on an antibiotic for their child's viral infection, though it won't have any effect. Other times, adults with colds or ear infections demand antibiotics, and physicians give in to appease their patients.

What's more, we're just not developing new antimicrobial agents as quickly as we were 30 years ago. All the easily discovered ones have been produced, so it's much more difficult to uncover new ones. Rolfe says regulatory rules placed on pharmaceutical companies have increased the length of time it takes from scientific breakthrough to market. Plus, it's a very pricey process, so it's no surprise that pharmaceutical companies concentrate on discovering other more profitable drug compounds instead.

Antibiotics are used everywhere today. They're given to cattle to prevent disease; they're sprayed on produce to hold down bacterial rotting or fungal growth. Eating beef that's fed on antibiotic-injected feed or produce sprayed with antibiotics may wipe out considerable amounts of bacteria. But those that do survive then become resistant, creating super germs.

Not finishing your course of antibiotics when you are diagnosed with a bacterial infection is another culprit. You may knock back the number of bugs after a few days on medication, and even feel better. But if you stop taking the drug, you won't eliminate all germs and the remaining few either spread to other people or re-infect you later since the bacteria wasn't completely destroyed. Guess what? The new infection won't respond to the same antibiotic -- now it's resistant.

Cleansers, Soaps and Antimicrobial Products
There's some controversy surrounding plastics, hand soaps, cleansers, creams and wipes infused with antibacterial properties. "Some people feel there's pretty good evidence, at least in the laboratory, that exposing bacteria to those substances can increase the resistance of bacteria," says Rolfe. Though he's not aware of a real world example yet, he speculates the results should be similar.

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Wash your hands with plain soap and water. The most common way you pick up infections is via your hands. Touch a doorknob then touch eyes, nose or mouth, and voila -- disease spreads. Washing with soap and water can knock down those bacteria to a low enough number that they won't cause infection.

Skip antibacterial products. "I don't think these are worth the money," says Rolfe. "There hasn't been any clear demonstration they prevent infections in a household, they're much more expensive, and they may very well be causing antibiotic resistance."

Three Super Bugs to Watch

MRSA (dubbed "mersa," for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
Where it lurks: At the gym
MRSA lives on skin and spreads through dirty towels, unsanitary locker rooms or sweat-drenched workout equipment.
Prevention: Hot showers after working out, frequent hand washing with plain soap, impeccably clean gym facilities and disinfecting locker rooms and equipment after each use.
C-Diff or Clostridium Difficile
Where it lurks: In your stomach
Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming bacteria in the digestive tract. When you take antibiotics for an infection, the medicine kills germs in the digestive tract but also allows remaining microorganisms to multiply out of control. This could lead to C. diff, which causes diarrhea and cramps.
Prevention: Take probiotics, available in the refrigerated section of your health food store. Probiotics, such as acidophilus, are the live cultures found in many yogurts. They allow the good bacteria in your belly to flourish and stave off the harmful ones. Cranberry juice, known for disrupting UTIs, is also being studied for its ability to rid the body of stomach viruses. Frequent hand-washing with plain soap, especially after using the bathroom or before preparing and eating food, is also a good idea.
Sepsis
Where it lurks: Hospital, clinic or doctor's office
Sepsis is the result of any kind of infection -- bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal -- anywhere in the body. Normally, your own defense system fights infection, but with sepsis, the body's normal reaction goes into overdrive, setting off a cascade of events that lead to widespread inflammation and blood clotting in tiny vessels throughout the body. Having an underactive immune system (like after a bout with the flu) or a recent surgery can predispose you. Symptoms include fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea and a high or low white blood count and often crop up on the heels of your recent illness or surgery.
Prevention: Insist on super-clean surroundings at clinics, doctor's offices and hospitals; make sure nurses and physicians don gloves.