Super bugs,games and antibiotic resistance.

A new game aims to raise awareness of the growing threat of superbugs - antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could cause serious health problems for humanity in the near future. Developed by Preloaded, Superbugs puts players in charge of battling rapidly mutating bacteria in a Petri dish. As cells replicate, you administer doses of antibiotics to wipe them out, leaving only the resistant red cells. Gameplay consists of keeping the dish clear, while a timer counts down on new drug research to wipe out the stronger strains. Chillingly, given the game is meant to mirror the real-world battle against superbugs, defeat is inevitable, as bacteria multiplies and mutates faster than research - or you, as the player - can keep up with. The mobile game launches in partnership with the Longitude Prize, a five-year challenge with a £10 million prize fund which aims to solve the problem of global antibiotic resistance. Make no mistake, this is a major challenge facing the world's healthcare authorities. At the end of 2015, bacteria resistant to colistin were discovered. As colistin is considered a "last resort" for treatment of strains that have grown immune to other antibiotics, this is a significant problem. Without constant research and development of new drugs, some projections forecast up to 10m deaths per year by 2050. "We know our daily behaviours - like sharing and overusing antibiotics - can lead to bacteria becoming drug-resistant, so it's really important we increase awareness around this huge issue," said Longitude Prize spokesperson Tamar Ghosh. "It's especially important to reach young people and games like this are a fantastic way of doing that." Superbugs, available now for Android and iOS devices, is aimed at improving basic scientific understanding of how bacteria mutate and become drug-resistant, while reinforcing how small changes in human behaviour - such as proper consumption of prescribed antibiotics - can slow their spread. Superbugs takes the complex science behind the spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and models it as a casual mobile game that's not only great fun to play but scientifically sound," said Phil Stuart, Creative Director of Preloaded. "Games are the perfect medium to reach millions of people and make complex ideas understandable." The Longitude Prize launched in 2014, seeking ideas on how to tackle the rise of drug-resistant bacteria - ideally, "a diagnostic tool that can rule out antibiotic use or help identify an effective antibiotic to treat a patient." While Superbugs alone won't do that, the hope is it gets more people thinking about the problem - and a solution. Contributed by wired.co.uk

Agro-Veterinary Business: role of environment in antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is a global issue with developing countries being mostly affected .The research as to ways to combat the super bug effect has looked into techniques of animal production with the view that if antibiotic use is reduced in farm animals then there will not be any residues in the products thus eliciting development of antibiotic strains in man resulting in difficulty in treatment of simple conditions such as diarrhoea. 

 The reduction and absolute banning of antibiotics in farmed animals has shown dramatic changes in the antibiotic residues,but the identification of some antibiotic resistance strains that was not used even during production,has beam the search on another possible route of transmission. 

 The environment is the mixing media where various pathogens interact, pathogens from man,animals are exchanged freely .Antibiotics released into the environment may be spread through plants which later are consumed by humans, or by livestock. 

 The consequence is that relatively harmless conditions such as diarrhea caused by resistant coli bacteria or salmonella bacteria become dangerous or even lethal. 

 Drugs discharged into the environment are a problem in many parts of the world and antibiotics are spread in nature through urine from animals and humans, and many unfortunately have a very long life span.

 The problem is very pronounced in many African countries because of poor sanitation conditions . The quality of drugs available to man and animals also play a role in development of resistance,many countries with poor drug regulations where concentrations of active ingredients are not accurate,or the active ingredient is not even in the preparation( fake drugs). 

This results in repeated treatment where the bacteria is not destroyed but becomes resistant to the drug.The environment is the mixing vat,and unless proper disposal of drugs,feces are incorporated into sanitation laws the problem will persist.

Drug-resistant genes spread through environment, not meat products.

New findings show that traffic from humans to animals, and back to humans via the environment,is responsible for resistant genes and as such a new focus on tackling antibiotic resistance is proposed. 

In the first study to track antibiotic resistance in intensively-farmed beef, scientists discovered a "startling" lack of resistance genes in meat. Meanwhile, in soil and feces samples from cattle pens they found genes resistant to a powerful "last resort" class of antibiotics called carpabemens that aren't used in the livestock industry.

These genes may have jumped from humans or companion animals to livestock, or could even be present at low levels in the wider environment.

 Results published in eLife suggest researchers and policy-makers need to switch focus to combat the growing problem of drug-resistant bugs. A current focus for policy-makers is to reduce antibiotic use in livestock to curb the spread of drug-resistant bugs.


The team urges that traffic from humans to animals, and back to humans via the environment, should be a new focus for research. The lack of resistance genes in post-slaughter meat samples was a big surprise for the scientists, forcing them to rethink the view that it is only antibiotic use that increases resistance.

 Environmental routes of exposure are much harder to trace and have been largely overlooked by researchers and policy-makers. While many people never step foot on working farms, we are physically connected to agriculture via waste water run-off and wind borne particulates.

 The scientists suggest investigating wind patterns and water flow to see if, and how, resistant bacteria may be disseminated, and how far.

 The researchers opined that they may observe that such dissemination is very limited geographically, or we may find that resistant bacteria can travel long distances if they find the right currents or the right waterways. In either case, this would be very important information from a public health perspective.

 The researchers collected samples from 1,741 commercial cattle. The study started in feedlots, where intensively farmed cattle are moved after grazing. A feedlot consists of outdoor pens where cattle are fattened during their final months of life.

 Samples were also taken during slaughter and from market-ready products. No previous studies have tracked antimicrobial use and resistance right through the beef production process.

The team found no resistance genes to any bacteria in market-ready beef products. They did discover changes to antibiotic resistance genes in the guts of cattle during their time in the feedlot. The changes could be due to the use of antibiotics in feedlots but could also result from adjusting to a high-energy diet or from the cattle's maturation from adolescent to adult.

Scientists find how 'superbugs' build their defenses.

Scientists in Britain have found how drug-resistant bacteria build and maintain a defensive wall — a discovery that paves the way for the development of new drugs to break through the barrier and kill the often deadly “superbugs”. In recent decades, bacteria resistant to multiple drugs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or Clostridium difficile, have grown into a global health threat, while superbug strains of infections like tuberculosis and gonorrhoea have become untreatable. The World Health Organization has warned that many antibiotics could become redundant this century, leaving patients vulnerable to deadly infections and threatening the future of medicine. Researchers publishing a study in the journal Nature on Monday said knowing the mechanism bacteria use to keep up their defences brings scientists closer to solving the problem of antibiotic resistance, since new treatments can be designed to weaken those defences rather than attack the bacteria directly. This means that in future, bacteria may not develop drug-resistance at all, they said. The team led by Changjiang Dong, a professor at Britain’s University of East Anglia, used a machine called Diamond Light Source — which produces intense light 10 billion times brighter than the sun — to investigate in tiny detail a class of bugs known as Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria are particularly resistant to antibiotics because their cells have an impermeable lipid-based outer membrane which acts as a defensive barrier against attacks from the body’s immune system and from antibiotic drugs. Dong’s team zeroed in on the defensive wall and found that it is built and maintained by what they described as a beta-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) containing five sub-units called BamA, BamB, BamC, BamD and BamE. They then figured out how these sub-units work together to form and maintain the cell membrane, and crucially, how to disrupt that mechanism. “The beta-barrel assembly machinery is responsible for building the ‘gates’ in the cell wall,” Dong explained. “Stopping the beta-barrel assembly machine from building the gates in the cell wall cause the bacteria to die.” The study found that the sub-unit BamA, which is found in the outer membrane and exposed to the outer side of the bacteria, is a key component of the mechanism — making it “a great target” for new drugs, Dong’s team said.

EGGS AND ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUE.

Antibiotic residue in animal by products such as eggs are a global concern especially with the "superbugs effect".The process of rearing animals on a commercial level has come under attack because of the impact on the health of man.The production process from farm to table is laced with use of antibiotics ,growth hormones and anticoccidial drugs,which impact negatively on the consumers. Antibiotic residue in animals has been identified as the key factor for proliferation of antibiotic resistant bacteria resulting in several deaths especially in children and women.The residues in animal tissues have also been fingered as the reason for increase cases of obesity,diabetes,cancer ,kidney and liver diseases and early attainment of sexual maturity in children. The additives in animal feed with its negative impact on health has been a debate and several countries opting out of the use,with many buying animals reared only on home grown feed,more and more people buying organic products and very many others purchasing from farmers/organizations with better production method. The rearing of animals can be a mind bogging experience if the proper management technique are not employed, and products churned out will definitely be different. Eggs; a major by-product from poultry has come under scrutiny with many scholars advocating the incorporation into diet and some others criticizing this because of " cholesterol" level but the fact is "an egg a day does keep the doctors away." Eggs are of immense benefits, they provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals e.t.c( read more about egg benefits at google.com/+BolanleOjuri) The eggs produced from chicken raised on antibiotic laden techniques cannot deliver any nutrient to the consumer,rather its a vehicle for antibiotic resistant bacteria to proliferate. An egg is really not an egg on its own,rather an egg is the sum total of what you feed your chicken,hence your practice impacts your products. Chicken raised with Atovi premix have the following benefits; the poultry house has no foul odor,the chicken are big without fat and skin is smooth and crispy, the eggs are bigger with thick shells and no antibiotic residue.The atovi ensures natural detoxification and expulsion of harmful compounds such as synthetic drugs,natural poison and antibiotics on cellular level which ensures that eggs and poultry are free of residues.The digestive system is energized and it ensures proper absorption of nutrient and total utilization which results in odorless waste due to absence of undigested protein in the feces. The birds have greater stamina,they dont succumb to diseases because of there energized cells that enhances their immune system. Farms where Atovi is used have zero cost on medication which is a real advantage especially in outbreak cases of bird flu,the birds wont contract the virus. Eggs are essential for development especially for children so ensure you are buying eggs of chicken raised without antibiotics.

ATOVI; PREMIX FOR ANIMALS.

Animal production has taken a dramatic turn with the advent of antibiotic resistant bacteria,increase in cancer,obesity and early attainment of puberty in children. All these have been traced to animal husbandry; it is a known fact that more producers feed animals with antibiotic laden feed and growth hormones and these have resultant effects on consumers. People are kicking against the use of chemicals,antibiotics and medicated feed in production process,this has lead to search for more natural solutions which healthy benefits. Atovi is one of such alternatives; its a premix which when fed to animals enhances their immune system thus preventing diseases,it increases growth rate with high muscle mass,increases egg yield and size,it increases the rate of feed absorption thus ensuring better utilization of feed. The odor of feces of poultry birds are eliminated because of proper feed utilization,thus making management of poultry waste easy. The animals are not susceptible to diseases,thus reducing cost of production in terms of drug usage. Atovi has also found uses in growing of plant and food crops.Seeds to be planted are prep with atovi to energize them,prevent pest infestation and also enhance growth and yield of crops.Animal breeders also use the atovi to increase litter size, ensure high birth weight of pups and survival index. Atovi indeed is miracle supplement used all over the world to enhance performance of plants and animals naturally. Use atovi and increase production rate naturally,call for yours today. https://www.webmallng.com/my-profile

A.T.O.V.I

Feeding our livestock is so important,because what we feed our animals has an effect on the consumers.The side effect of antibiotics in feed cannot be overemphasized, the superbug effect is a major problem,hence morw and more people are moving into new realms of production,using wholesome ingredients for the livestock. The advent of healthy living, weight loss programs and healthy life style forums, more and more people are making better choices; such as buying organic products,eating animal products from pastured animals and consuming animal by-products of animals raised without antibiotics. This is the major reason for using pre/probiotics in feed instead of antibiotics. ATOVI,has been proven to aid growth of livestock ,prevent diseases and enhance bigger eggs,better feed conversion ratio. ATOVI ,can be used in all animal types with no side effects. Feeding livestock accounts for a larger percentage of cost of production in animal husbandry,it also determines the quality and quantity of expected by-products. Animal feed are usually fortified with growth promoters,antibiotics and anticoccidials,to ensure that the animals produce at a higher rate, grow faster to attain market weight early and to prevent diseases. The inclusion of all these medication in feed increases the cost of feed,reduces the shelve-life of the feed and it has a potential to impact the human health in a negative way as a result of antibiotic residue in the by-products. The global concern of antibiotic residue in animal by- products resulting in antibiotic resistance in man has sparked a lot of action, with more and more people pushing for regulations to restrict these inclusions in animal feed, others avoid such products,many purchase products from animals raised on organic feed/ those raised on home grown feed. This has led to a lot of research on better feeding methods of animals; these include exclusion of chemicals from feed, vaccinating animals as opposed to feed medication and inclusion of certain premixes in feed to enhance the immune system. Atovi premix is a blend of minerals and vitamins added to animal feed without any side effect in man. The premix blended with the feed enhances the immune system thus preventing diseases in animals.The premix increases the growth rate ,livability of animals thus preventing loss due to mortality,higher production rate due to better absorption of feed ,reduces time of molting thus the laying period is extended with more egg production of bigger sizes. The beef/chicken/pork produced has a homegrown taste,its juicy,without cholesterol with high carcass percentage. The use of ATOVI powder actually lowers cost of production because the animals consume less feed ,the fecal matter is reduced and its odorless. The inclusion of atovi powder in animal feed is not limited to few species,all animals benefit including fish& rabbit .It is also used on crops. The ATOVI powder, has a counterpart in human medicine referred to as MITOGEN AND MITO MALUNGGAY capsules and used as supplements to boost immune system and cure several diseases.

Antibiotic resistance# Superbugs.

This is how it all began................................ Thanks to C.D.C for the pictorial expression. Join the change movement!!! resist the use of antibiotic in animal feed!!!. YOU ARE WHAT YOUR ANIMALS EAT!!!!