Hi All
Sorry to extend this one, but in response to both Allens and Judys
post I would like to offer the following bit of information.
The following paper describes how the tetracycline resistance gene in
a common human skin bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis, is very
similar to the one described in Bacillus subtilus.
Where a gene for resistance is present it moves very rapidly from
bacterial host to host, and soon it destroys the usefullness of an
antibiotic.
In a recent study of local south african chicken (chicken around the
world are fed tetracycline to increase their growth rate - they used
to be fed penicillin but that stopped working and too many people
became allergic to it) it was found that 100% of chicken contained
bacterial strains resistant to tetracyline, chloramphenicol and
penicillin. These are three of the best antibiotics.
So yes, using bad examples and alarmism may be bad, but as Allen said
in the following quote:
Then, choose whether you want to believe those who use calm reasoned
words backed by ample experience or those who make unsubstantiated alarmist
statements unbacked by anything but conjecture, non-sequiturs and bad
reasoning.
You'll find the former group are busy people, taciturn after having
once spoken, and unwilling to argue the same old matters over and over.
The latter group seems to have endless time to spout conjecture about
things in which they have little experience.
end quote.
So from this I am sure we can see that given the evolution of strains
resistant to every antibiotic known to man, the calm reasoning ones
among us can see that to take a short cut and use a broad spectrum
antibiotic to treat a trivial bee disease, probably more indicative
of bad beekeeping pasture than anything else, is not wise. In the
short term it will help - but in the long term the ones with
experience using TM are going to be the first ones with experience
with resistant strains - simple.
As far as conjecture from ones with little experience - that may be
aimed at me - I routinely work with antibiotic resistant bacterial
strains. (that's what microbiologists do) I have never had AFB in my
hives so I have not worked with that bacteria. I have worked with
B.subtilus, cereus and a few others - any environmental sample of
these from where humans are has resistance present.
According to recent
publications AFB has suddenly been found in my country. My rather
older book from 1960 reports that AFB when it does occur in south
africa is not a major problem and the bees clear it up. But then
again, the bees in my area are healthy and happy at the moment and
have not been fed antibiotics for 50 years.
J Med Microbiol 1996 Jul;45(1):57-63
A novel plasmid from Staphylococcus epidermidis specifying resistance
to kanamycin, neomycin and tetracycline.
Schwarz S, Gregory PD, Werckenthin C, Curnock S, Dyke KG
Institut fur Kleintierforschung Celle/Merbitz der
Bundesforschungsanstalt fur Landwirtschaft Braunschweig-Volkenrode
(FAL), Germany.
The naturally occurring plasmid pSTS7 from Staphylococcus epidermidis
mediated resistance to tetracycline via a tetL gene and to kanamycin
and neomycin via an aadD gene. Plasmid pSTS7 showed partial
restriction map and sequence homology to the previously described
tetracycline resistance plasmid pNS1981 from Bacillus subtilis and to
the kanamycin/neomycin/bleomycin resistance plasmid pUB110 from S.
aureus. Sequence analysis of the regions flanking the two resistance
genes in pSTS7 led to the identification of a novel site for
interplasmid recombination which could explain the derivation of pSTS7
from the incompatible pNS1981- and pUB110-like parental plasmids under
tetracycline-selective pressure.
Keep well
Garth
Garth Cambray Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown Apis mellifera capensis
6139
South Africa
Time = Honey
If you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space!!
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