From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-09-24 21:12:22 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] risks of using antibiotics w E. coli infections
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
On treating and not treating E. coli bacterial infections.
This is info from the blog of a professional science writer:
http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2006/09/18/why_tainted_spinach_and_antibi.php
and is relevant to ferret health since E. coli infections are at times seen in ferrets, esp. with raw meat feeding.
>Why Tainted Spinach And Antibiotics Are a Bad Match
>Category: Evolution
>Posted on: September 18, 2006 1:04 PM, by Carl Zimmer
discusses viral hitchhikers. All of us have some viruses which insert themselves into our genetics, and it turns out that this is also true for bacteria.
Interestingly, some of the viruses which behave in this way with E. coli are led to massively procreate and then escape if their bacterial hosts meet with a major stress, such as antibiotic treatments.
Because those same virii produce the toxic products which can destroy kidneys it can be dangerous to treat E. coli infections with antibiotics.
In part, the author writes:
>It turns out that antibiotics are the last thing you want to take if you get sick with Escherichia coli O157:H7. It may turn a >nasty--but temporary--case of bloody diarrhea into fatal organ failure.
...
>In other cases, the viruses are dormant but still independent. In response to stress, Escherichia coli starts making new >copies of the virus, which then burst out of their host. Antibiotics are among the stresses that trigger the viruses to >escape. It's a good strategy for the virus, because it can escape from its host before the antibiotics kill the bug. It's not >so good for the host, of course, and can be pretty bad for us as well. That's because the toxins in Escherichia coli that >can cause organ failure are actually carried by the viruses. The genes only become active as the host begins making >new viruses. That means that if you take antibiotics for infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7, you may wipe out the >infection, but you may also trigger organ failure.
>As a result, the advice from experts on this bug is to just rig patients up with hydration and hope for the best...
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private posts)
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