Sir, - With regard to the report "Bacteria find way to defeat last effective antibiotic" (The Irish Times, September 19th), which I read with surprise, I would like to make the following points.
Firstly, bacteria resistant to all antibiotics but Vancomycin have wrongly been associated with over-use of antibiotics by general practitioners. These organisms have been in existence since the 1960s and because of the use of antibiotics in the hospital environment they have developed in hospitals, not in the community. They are now present in every major hospital in the country, and when patients are discharged they can find their way into the community, in particular institutions such as nursing homes. Bacteria evolve, as do all life forms, and the strongest will survive. Continued use of hospital antibiotics has allowed the selective genetic development of organisms that are resistant to these antibiotics. General practitioners do not prescribe the type of antibiotics concerned - in fact, many can be administered only by intravenous drip.
A further point omitted in this article was the sometimes inappropriate use of antibiotics by vets and farmers. Not many of your readers will realise that many antibiotics commonly prescribed by general practitioners can be found in animal products. - Yours, etc.,
Rathgar, Dublin 6.