Re: Serious

[Bill Phillips <WilliamPhillips2@access.net.au>]

Stuart

It may be different regarding antibiotic use in other parts of the world
but in Australia the problem has been one of over prescription of the drugs
- antibiotics cannot be purchased in Australia without prescription.

I have never known a rhinovirus to be inactivated by any antibiotic - and
yet many doctors prescribe antibiotics for the "common cold". OK, there is
the possibility of secondary bacterial infection but any healthy person
will not succumb to secondary infection.

I would disagree with you on the question of antibiotic resistant strains
being no more virulent than normal strains. But that is for another day

At 04:40 PM 5/25/00 -0500, you wrote:
>>Thrtough the widespread use of antibiotics over the last 40-60 years,
>>mutant strains have developed that are more aggressive and resistant to
>>most antibiotics (but that is another story).
>
>Antibiotic use in and of itself only exerts selective pressure.  That 
>pressure is only for resistance, NOT for "aggression" or virulence. 
>I know this really has nothing to do with Apistos, but you raise a 
>point which bears comment.  A lot of the problems associated with 
>rampant antibiotic use result more directly from patient 
>noncompliance than from bad prescription practices.  If we all took 
>our antibiotics the (for example) four times a day for ten days like 
>we're supposed to, it would be less likely that resistant bacteria 
>would emerge as quickly.
>
>E. coli IS nearly ubiquitous, but there many different strains, just 
>like there are different strains of fish.  O157:H7 is particularly 
>nasty to humans.
>
>>Unless your fish are weakened due to some other cause, I would not see much
>>risk in changing the water with E coli in the water. If you are really
>>concerned, can you take water out of a hot water system (most bacteria
>>cannot survive over about 45 celsius) or else treat the water with a broad
>>spectrum cure-all (eg MELAFIX)
>
>E. coli is not necessarily pathogenic in fish, meaning it doesn't 
>necessarily cause disease in fish.  I'm no ichthyologist; perhaps 
>someone on this list knows for sure whether or not E. coli causes 
>fish trouble.
>
>As has been mentioned, there are probably other things in the 
>tapwater that are worse for fish than coliform bacteria.
>
>
>Stuart
>-- 
>--
>Stuart Hall
>(sturob@swbell.net)
>(gasdocstu@my-deja.com)
>
>
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