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Invitation to the Media - Threatening life

July 04, 2002

You are invited to a question and answer session (15:35, 9 July 2002) on what may be the greatest threat to the future health of the nation - antibiotic resistance.

• UK food animals consume nearly 450 tonnes of anti-microbials every year.
  
• Hospital-acquired infections account for £1 billion of NHS funds each year.
  
• As few as three out of 200 hospitals studied account for 20-35% of cases of ciprofloxacin resistant enterobacters.
  
• 46.1% of all Staphylococcus aureus infections in the UK are resistant to methicillin - the highest rate in Europe.
  
• Hospital acquired infections can be reduced 18-fold by simple changes in drug administration without adversely affecting patient recovery.
  
• Meningitis cases are now emerging that are resistant to vancomycin.
  
• No new major class of antibiotics has been discovered since the 1960s.
  

Sebastian Amyes, Professor of Microbial Chemotherapy at the University of Edinburgh sums up by saying: 'Apathy is the major factor in precipitating the threat of antibiotic resistance that we now face. Many of the procedures that we currently use promote resistance rather than controlling it. Our problems still stem from ignorance. Research is needed if we are to preserve antibiotics - even for the next generation.'

The Institute of Biology is joint organiser of an international meeting Anti-infectives: The way forward, to be held at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, London 8-9 July 2002. Twenty experts in microbiology, medicine, veterinary medicine, and drug design and development are gathering to tackle the future of anti-infective medicines. You are invited to attend the concluding talk and q&a session.

Institute of Biology