In part two of a three part Beef Buzz series with Dr. Margaret Riley of the University of Massachusetts- we continue to look at antibiotic resistance and what the future may hold in reducing resistance to the antibiotics of tomorrow.
According to Dr. Riley, broad spectrum antibiotics are the problem. She tells Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays "if you take a broad spectrum antibiotic, the target is not just the pathogen that you are worried about- the bacteria that is causing the infection- it's all the other microbes in our bodies. And so, if you have a trillion bugs in your body, which we do, all of those have the ability to acquire antibiotic resistance."
The answer that Dr. Riley believes is the one that will offer a breakthrough for animal agriculture as well as in human health is to recognize that "it's not us versus the microbes- it's us versus the particular pathogens that are bothering us." So, she believes we have to look at the specific pathogens making humans or animals sick, and develop a antimicrobial that will target that specific pathogen.
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