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Re:World without antibiotics by moppl on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @04:29AM (#16113592)
There exists an alternative to antibiotics since it's very beginnings. It is the bacteriophages therapy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy

It is practiced since the 20ies in Tiblisi Georgia. TED talk about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjH6m5VuR6I

So it is not all doomsday.

Re:World without antibiotics by sevenfive on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @04:00PM (#16119031)
I don't know how someone can say "this promising therapy exists only in Tblisi" and not be immediately suspicious...
Re:World without antibiotics by QAPereo on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @11:13AM (#16116042)
There are serious limitations to the current application of phage therapy, not the least of which is the need to positively identify a given strain you want to attack.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy#Obstacles

Re:World without antibiotics by JoshTko on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @12:33PM (#16116956)
Isn't this potentially a feature? In that you won't be promoting resistance in non target bacteria? Seems that this would force much less over-prescription.
Re:World without antibiotics by keevie on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @12:50PM (#16117115)
That does seem like an advantage, but the downside is that people who don't have access to fancy diagnostic equipment potentially just die of things that could be cured with some antibiotics....
Re:World without antibiotics by xefer on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @09:54AM (#16115273)
On a tangential note, that "Phage therapy" Wikipedia page makes reference to the Sinclair Lewis book "Arrowsmith":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowsmith_(novel)

I found it to be one more the more inspirational books I had read as a young student.

Re:World without antibiotics by perilunar on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @07:58PM (#16120604)
For open wounds there is also maggot therapy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy
Re:World without antibiotics by mrarjen on Wednesday January 10, 2018 @05:32AM (#16113924)
I was thinking this as well. It seems rather promising as a partial replacement at first. Hope that this will offer solutions to the antibiotics problem long term.