Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotics are amazing and save millions of lives each year. However, used improperly they can create genetically resistant strains of microbes, a threat to us all.

---

Yeah, so about my UTI. That has turned out to be more of an adventure than I anticipated. It included a long day in the Emergency Room, a total of four antibiotics, including two intravenous ones, and feeling crappy for more than a week. As of this writing, I am improved, but not healed. Infections are serious business.

One of the most interesting things about the experience was to find that different “bugs” respond to different treatments. My doctor started me on Keflex, but after four days, we decided that it wasn’t working and he switched me to Bactrim. Both are potent, but apparently Bactrim targeted my particular infection better.

I had one worry though: it clearly states on every bottle of antibiotic that you MUST finish the entire regimen (for example, seven days, three times a day). I was short-cutting the Keflex and going to Bactrim. Shouldn’t I complete both? And why is it so important to complete each regimen?

In a word, the reason is antibiotic resistance. Apparently, since the Keflex wasn’t working anyway, it did no harm to stop. However, if you have an infection, take antibiotics and stop before all of the little vermin are killed, you run a risk of some of the tiny buggers genetically mutating and becoming resistant to that particular drug. It is typical to start feeling much better after a day or two on antibiotics and forego the rest of the dose. This also happens when antibiotics are used indiscriminately for minor things that our bodies could normally fight off.

“Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials (Wikipedia).” There are at least three ways microbes adapt to fight antibiotics. They may attack the drug enzymatically and break it down, they may alter bacterial proteins that are antimicrobial targets making the antibiotic ineffective, and changes in membrane permeability to antibiotics.

One of the most dangerous cases of antibiotic resistance is a staph infection called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pronounced MERSA. “What sets MRSA apart is that it is resistant to an entire class of antibiotics called beta-lactams. This group of antibiotics includes methicillin, and the more commonly prescribed penicillin, amoxicillin, and oxacillin among others (Baylor College of Medicine).” What is scary is that most MRSA infections occur in people who have been hospitalized or in other health care facilities like nursing homes and those who have medical devices inserted into their bodies. These super bugs can be extremely dangerous and the Centers for Disease Control considers methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) a "serious threat." How serious? Of the 23,000 deaths annually, that are related to antibiotic resistance, almost half are caused by MRSA.

It is interesting to note that within ten years of the development of Penicillin, the first antibiotic, Staphylococcus aureus was already mutating and had developed a Penicillin resistant strain. Ten years after that, MRSA was first identified.

Antibiotic resistance is considered a world-wide threat to human health. Just think for a moment if we had a whole pot full of MRSA-like bacteria. What could happen? Could these be used in bio-terrorism? Could they overwhelm our medical abilities? Could we have another influenza-type outbreak, this time with a bacterial disease, like the Spanish Flu of 100 years ago? That one was wildly deadly and virtually unstoppable. With today’s transportation net and larger population, this could spread worldwide in a matter of a few days. We saw that very thing with COVID-19.

This pattern of resistance continues to occur at an increasing rate with each new antibiotic developed. And it isn’t just Staphylococcus aureus. Apparently, any microbe can mutate and become more resistant to the antibacterials designed to kill it. We can all do our part to reduce antibacterial resistance by completing any prescribed antibiotic regimen. Dead microbes can’t mutate.

---

Help Idaho Wildlife

When we traveled across the state in October 2017, most of the vehicles we saw using the wildlife management areas did not have wildlife plates. Buying wildlife plates is a great way for non-hunters and hunters alike to support wildlife-based recreation like birding.

C'mon folks, let's help Idaho's wildlife by proudly buying and displaying a wildlife license plate on each of our vehicles! 

See below for information on Idaho plates. Most states have wildlife plates so if you live outside Idaho, check with your state's wildlife department or vehicle licensing division for availability of state wildlife plates where you live. 

And tell them that you heard about it from Nature-track.com!

---

Wildlife License Plates

Great news! as of 2024, there are three NEW designs for license plates. They still are bluebird, cutthroat trout and elk, but they are beautiful.

Idaho Wildlife license plates provide essential funding that benefits the great diversity of native plants and wildlife that are not hunted, fished or trapped—over 10,000 species or 98% of Idaho’s species diversity. Game species that share the same habitats (such as elk, deer, antelope, sage-grouse, salmon, trout) also benefit from these specialty plates.

No state tax dollars are provided for wildlife diversity, conservation education and recreation programs. Neither are any revenues from the sale of hunting or fishing licenses spent on nongame species. Instead, these species depend on direct donations, federal grants, fundraising initiatives—and the Idaho Wildlife license plates.

Both my vehicles have Bluebird Plates. I prefer the bluebird because the nongame program gets 70 percent of the money from bluebird plates, but only 60 percent of the money from elk and trout plates - 10 percent of the money from elk plates supports wildlife disease monitoring and testing programs (to benefit the livestock industry) and 10 percent from cutthroat plates supports non-motorized boat access.

Incidentally, in 2014, the Idaho Legislature denied the Department of Fish and Game the ability to add new plates or even to change the name of the elk and cutthroat plates (very specific) to wildlife and fish plates, a move that would have allowed for changing images occasionally and generating more revenue. It would seem that they believe that we Idahoans don't want a well funded wildlife program.

I think it is time we let the Legislature know that Idahoan support wildlife funding and that we would like to see these generic plates come to fruition.