Antibiotic Resistance

When random mutations in organisms produce traits that enhance the reproductive success of the organism, then "natural selection" allows those traits to spread in a population. A new mutation, called the MCR-1 gene, gives bacteria resistance to colistin, the antibiotic of "last resort". Especially troubling is that the resistance can be shared among different bacteria species. Timothy Walsh is a co-author of the study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

If MCR-1 becomes global, which is a case of when not if, and the gene aligns itself with other antibiotic resistance genes, which is inevitable, then we will have very likely reached the start of the post-antibiotic era.

Update (December 9):  A report from the United Kingdom warns about the global overuse of antibiotics on farm animals.