Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


3

Super-Acne Resists Drugs

Resistant bacteria strain increasingly defies antibiotics

Share

(Newser) – As if regular old zits weren't bad enough, awkward teens now have a new worst nightmare: antibiotic-resistant super-acne. Dermatologists say the bacteria that causes pimples is increasingly immune to common treatments, reports MSNBC. And while acne may not be a life-threatening condition, the frequent prescription of antibiotics to treat it can contribute to a general antibiotic resistance.

Doctors also worry these super-zits are mutating in ways that could be “passed over” to more harmful bacteria like MRSA, the super-bug behind deadly staph infections. “Which means that our only weapons against the bad guys suddenly do not work anymore,” says one doctor. "If it became bad enough, it would be like the days before antibiotics, when infection was a common cause of death.”

Anti-inflammatory drugs such as retinoids and isotretinoin, known most commonly by the brand name Accutane, are increasingly used in place of antibiotics.
Anti-inflammatory drugs such as retinoids and isotretinoin, known most commonly by the brand name Accutane, are increasingly used in place of antibiotics.   (Getty Images)
Bottles of antibiotics line a shelf at a Supermarket pharmacy August 7, 2007 in Miami, Florida.
Bottles of antibiotics line a shelf at a Supermarket pharmacy August 7, 2007 in Miami, Florida.   (Getty Images)
Dermatologists are relying less on antibiotics to treat acne these days, as the bacteria that leads to the formation of zits becomes increasingly more resistant to common drugs.
Dermatologists are relying less on antibiotics to treat acne these days, as the bacteria that leads to the formation of zits becomes increasingly more resistant to common drugs.   (Shutterstock)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The dangerous thing about putting zillions of folks on antibiotics is that this pressures bacteria to develop resistance methods. - Dr. Peter Lio, dermatologist

Acne is a really tough disease. We can make a big difference with many patients, but it’s a humbling disease; it brings people down.
- Peter Lio, dermatologist

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.24.09
Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
3 comments
VIEWING:
 
TerrifiedCitizen
Apr 14, 09 4:13 AM CDT
One step forward, two steps back... Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
0
Caps
Apr 14, 09 9:36 AM CDT
Gross picture. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
0
Rob
Apr 14, 09 11:14 AM CDT
Basic evolution. And unfortunately bacteria can exchange antibiotic resistance between individuals unfettered by species barriers. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
0
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

34 Stories

Map of Cell's Machinery Wins Chemistry Nobel

Trio of laureates includes first woman
to win prize in 45 years

Oct 7, 09 5:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded today to three scientists who mapped the structure of the ribosome, the part of the cell that reads DNA and uses its information to  create proteins. All three chemists constructed three-dimensional models of the ribosome, using X-ray crystallography to chart hundreds of thousands... More »

MORE ABOUT:
DNA • bacteria • antibiotics • cell • Nobel Prize • chemistry

Dangerous Staph Germs Found at US Beaches

Bacteria cause nasty skin infections and pneumonia

Sep 12, 09 5:37 PM CDT
(AP) - Dangerous staph bacteria have been found in sand and water for the first time at five public beaches along the coast of Washington, and scientists think the state is not the only one with this problem. The germ is MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—a hard-to-treat bug once rarely seen... More »

MORE ABOUT:
beach • staph infections • infection • sand

Flu Shots Decrease Use
of Antibiotics

Doctors prescribe
them less when the shots are available

Sep 9, 09 1:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - Providing flu shots to the public decreases the prescription of antibiotics, say Canadian researchers. The results of a 10-year study in Ontario will be good news to public health officials who worry that over-prescription of antibiotics is creating more resistant bacteria, reports Miller-McCune. Researchers found that doctors prescribed 64% fewer... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Canada • bacteria • antibiotics • immunization • flu shot • flu • drug-resistant bacteria • flu season

34 Stories


Antibiotics allow devastating stomach bug to flourish
New York Times

Staph superbug now behind most skin infections
Medical News Today


Science & Health 
TwitterFollow @NewserScience on Twitter

 
staph infections • antibiotics • dermatology • acne

from our news partners

PopEater.com