[e-farmacos] Sobre el tratamiento del antrax (cont.)

["Figueras, Albert" <afs@icf.uab.es>]

E-farmacos: Sobre el tratamiento del antrax (cont.)
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Ante la avalancha de noticias sobre la guerra biologica, el 'Bacillus
anthracis' y las ventas de ciprofloxacina, asi como el ultimo mensaje de
Irma Echeverria, aprovecho para remitiros la direccion URL donde se
encuentran las normas de la OMS para la prevencion y crontrol del
carbunco en personas y animales:
http://www.who.int/emc-documents/zoonoses/docs/whoemczdi986.html#_Toc433123882


En su apartado de tratamiento, el documento dice, textualmente:

"Prompt and timely antibiotic therapy usually results in dramatic
recovery of the individual or animal infected with anthrax. Almost all
isolates of B. anthracis can be expected to be highly sensitive to
penicillin and, being cheap and readily available in most parts of the
world, this remains the basis of treatment schedules, particularly in
animals and in humans in developing countries. The organism is also
sensitive to numerous other broad spectrum antibiotics; should the use
of penicillin be contraindicated, a wide range of alternative choices
exist from among the aminoglycosides, macrolides, quinolones and 
tetracyclines. Chloramphenicol is also a satisfactory alternative.

We are only aware of four reports of the isolation of
penicillinresistant strains (Anon, 1996). The molecular basis of
susceptibility and resistance is complex (Lightfoot et al., 1990). It
looks as if it may prove to be the case that all B. anthracis strains
carry the ? lactamase gene(s) on their cromosomes but, apart from the
exceptions mentioned, these are not expressed.

In pulmonary or gastrointestinal anthrax in humans, symptomatic
treatment in an intensive care unit in addition to antibiotic therapy
may save the patient's life; as referred to in 7.2.8, if available,
plasmaphoresed hyperimmune serum or gammaglobulin from vaccinated
persons may be considered in
lifethreatening situations."


En relacion con el 'Bacillus anthracis' y las armas biologicas, el
sabado 15 de septiembre de 2001 la revista The Lancet publico una nota
titulada "US biological defence research under the spotlight", de acceso
libre en la direccion URL:
http://pdf.thelancet.com/pdfdownload?uid=llan.358.9285.news.17673.1&x=x.pdf

El texto comenta un articulo aparecido el 4 de septiembre de 2001 en el
periodico The New York Times sobre los programas secretos del Pentagono
para modificar geneticamente el 'Bacillus anthracis' con el fin de
obtener cepas mas peligrosas.


Albert Figueras
e-farmacos
Fundacion ICF
(Barcelona)
afs@icf.uab.es


[NOTA: Mensaje sin acentos ni caracteres especiales.]
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