Superbugs! Trivia Quiz

Answer: SDAT

VRE is a strain of enterococcus that is resistant to vancomycin; bad news since vancomycin is one of the few antibiotics that is effective against some of the other resistant bacteria. PRSP is penicillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, an infection especially dangerous for elderly nursing home residents. ESBL stands for extended spectrum beta lactamases, enzymes produced by some bacteria that make them resistant to cephalosporins, the group of antibiotics that are most widely used in hospital settings.

Some strains of E. coli have developed the ability to produce these enzymes. SDAT is the abbreviation for "Senile Dementia Alzheimers Type".

Answer: All of these

When penicillin first came on the market it was viewed as a wonder drug, able to cure just about anything. But antibiotics are useless against viral infections, and our immune system can often deal quite effectively with minor bacterial infections on its own. If antibiotics are being prescribed, the whole course of medication needs to be taken at the proper times; otherwise some bacteria may survive and develop immunity to the drug.

They pass this resistance on to the following generations, and bacteria multiply very fast; in optimal conditions they can divide every twenty minutes. Finally, don't throw leftover drugs down the drain, take them to the pharmacy for proper disposal.

The small amount of antibiotics released into the environment exposes some bacteria and can cause them to develop immunity.

Answer: False

The problems with these bacteria are first of all that they occur mostly in hospitals or care facilities, where people are already ill or frail, and that they can't be treated with most antibiotics. Often the antibiotics that do work have serious side effects.

But there are other instances when antibiotics don't work very well, for example if the infection has gone inside the muscle as in necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease, which is caused by the very common group A streptococcus. In addition, many people are "colonized" with antibiotic resistant bacteria, meaning they are carriers without being sick themselves.

It is estimated that about 1/3 of the population carry MRSA.

Answer: True

Pets can also transmit it to humans, but it usually originates from people.

Answer: 1947

It took barely four years for Staphylococcus aureus to develop resistance to penicillin. At the time the drug of choice was methycillin. Staphylococcus aureus adapted to this drug by 1961; this is the strain known as MRSA (methycillin resistant staphylococcus aureus).

Answer: Yes

In a 1945 interview with New York Times he said that misuse of penicillin could lead to bacteria developing resistance to the drug.

Answer: False

Tests have shown the opposite: alcohol weakens the individual and helps spread the infection.

Answer: Nosocomial

It is estimated that up to 10% of hospital patients in the US get a nosocomial infection. "Nosos" is Greek for "disease"; and "komeion" means "to take care of".

Answer: natural enemies of bacteria, called phages

Bacteriophages or phages are viruses that attack specific strains of bacteria and destroy them. In some cases they destroy the host cell quickly, others can co-exist with the host for some time until the host becomes weakened. During this time they become reproduced as the cell reproduces.

Originally they came from natural sources but today they can be designed to work against certain bacteria, especially those that are resistant to antibiotics. Phages work best when they are in direct contact with the bacteria, for example in an open wound.

Answer: Washing your hands frequently

Washing hands before meal preparation and eating, and after using the toilet or changing a diaper, plus whenever the hands feel dirty, is the best protection against superbugs as well as other infections.