bacteria, resistance, and biofilms.

[chimpkin]

I just thought I'd write down what I'd found out so far and see if anyone wants to add to it?

1. most bacterial infections( 80% according to the wikipedia page on it) form biofilms. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofilm )
2. the bacterial infections get to a certain critical level, at that point a quorum is sensed-and the bacteria begins to act more like a multicellular organism. It forms communication channels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofilm). The bacterium is able to horizontally transmit resistance to antibiotics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_gene_transfer).
3. As a result of the communication and mutual, cooperative efforts to resist antibiotics, resistance can be drastically increased by up to 1000%
4. A current area of research is how to break up biofilms, thus rendering the bacteria far more vulnerable to antibiotics and antimicrobials.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100408160907.htm

The reason I'm interested? I have a sinus infection that just won't go away...after multiple antibiotics courses and two surgeries.

At this point my irrigation mix includes xylitol. Xylitol disrupts biofilms, that's why...has been used successfully to treat diabetic ulcers.

http://bacteriality.com/2008/04/13/wolcott/

 

[Plant Life]

How is the Xylitol working?

The idea that some bacteria work and survive better when working together as a cooperative colony makes a lot of sense. Same way big animals do some things together to get better results. The ability to transfer resistance is handled by direct transfer of information due to close contact and if the two different types of bacteria or other types can't communicate they can always use a range of go between types that will allow the transfer of the information needed to gain the new resistance. The bacterial world has had about 3 billion years to perfect this strategy.

I have a problem with the apparent claim that "Biofilms have been around for at least 3 million years. They are essentially how organisms protect themselves from environmental attack – from chemicals, phages (viruses that infect bacteria), UV light, or other challenges."

Bacteria has been around for at least 3 billion years. Why anyone would say that biofilms have only been around for 3 million years is either a typo or just a very very strange thing to say.

Do I believe that the medical industry does not always share successful and unsuccessful strategies for any number of reasons, most of which are not to anyone's credit and thus dragging out peoples suffering. Ironic that the bacteria have learned that cooperation is a winning strategy while the medical industry remains splintered.

Phages are interesting in that each bacteria has a phage that will kill it. Each bacteria has its own personal phage hunting it down as food and as a means of reproduction. The trouble is that you have to get a bacteria sample from the person who is infected. From that sample you make a phage that matches the bacteria. The drawback is that you have to get the exact sample of bacteria you want to kill. And talk about not sharing, bacteriophage therapy has been extensively used and developed mainly in former Soviet Union countries for about the past 90 years, but you don't hear about it in the US? There is never a danger of antibiotic resistance happening. Of course, the biofilm is an actual physical structure that works as a physical shield, which can give the bacteria time to come up with a few mutations that will restructure its genetic make up enough to allow it to escape death and continue to reproduce from just a few cells back to a colony again.

Personally I believe that allergies should also be checked out, especially food allergies. A lot of people think that they can eat any old kind of food they want to just because everyone else around them is eating the same stuff. People who show allergic symptoms after soon eating something they can't are lucky. They know what to avoid. People who have a much slower allergic reaction that takes a long time to manifest itself might never connect the eventual affliction with their diet.

 

[chimpkin]

the irrigation alone (currently xylitol, baking soda, salt, epsom salt, and a dash of tea tree oil) seems to need repeated at least thrice daily to improve things, and slowly...I also have to include applied corticosteroids in said irrigations about half the time to keep the passages open-which makes me wonder if the surgeon just didn't take out enough tissue?

I also suffer from poor people's healthcare. This should be considered a chronic malady in itself

As far as the three million years? chalk it up to bad science reporting?