The relationship between "Less than a handful of antibiotics " and "last resort antibiotics "

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I'm not clear (or am confused) about the relationship.

It seems to me that the "last resort antibiotics" refer to the most powerful antibiotics (eg. vancomycin) that we humans now have had, while "Less than a handful of antibiotics" are still in reaserch or lab trial or clinic trial.

Am I on the right track?

Context:

Warning over threat posed by new superbugs resistant to ‘last resort’ antibioticsBy Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 10:08 AM on 7th April 2011
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Scientists have issued a stark warning over the rise of new superbugs resistant to the most powerful antibiotics.
Less than a handful of antibiotics are currently in the pipeline to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria with the worldwide spread of genes resistant to last resort antibiotics a 'nightmare scenario', the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
The body said abuse of antibiotics for humans and in the food chain was fostering the emergence of antibiotic resistance and threatening to take the world to an era before the discovery of penicillin in the 1920s.

Read more:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1374293/Warning-new-superbugs-resistant-resort-antibiotics.html

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Less than a handful of antibiotics (just a few types of anitbiotics) are currently in the pipeline ("in the pipeline" is an idiom. It can mean in research, in consideration or currently used) to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria with the worldwide spread of genes resistant to last resort antibiotics (the last type of antibiotics tried on patients) , a 'nightmare scenario', the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

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@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

Less than a handful of antibiotics (just a few types of anitbiotics) are currently in the pipeline ("in the pipeline" is an idiom. It can mean in research, in consideration or currently used) to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria with the worldwide spread of genes resistant to last resort antibiotics (the last type of antibiotics tried on patients) , a 'nightmare scenario', the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

If the "Less than a handful of antibiotics" were "currently used", they would be useless in combatting the superbugs, because the superbugs are resistent to these "last resort antibiotics". That would add more confusion in the question.

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Less than a handful of antibiotics are currently in the pipeline to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria . . .

means:

There are currently just a few effective antibiotics now available to combat these resistant bacterias (superbugs), which are becoming resistant to all other antibiotics.

So you have just a few effective antibiotics, plus many other ones that have proved to be NOT effective in fighting bactera. This is what is making the scientists afraid, because one day, we may not have ANY antibiotics to effectively treat these superbugs.

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@PUNKEY,

To clarify: drugs of last resort are drugs which are not used for routine cases for various reasons, perhaps because of undesirable side effects or toxicity or other reasons. They are reserved for the most desperate cases where all other treatments have failed.

When we consider antibiotics we also have the issue of resistance. An antibiotic may be reserved and considered a drug of last resort because of undesirable side effects e.g. those noted for vancomycin, or, more relevantly in this thread, because if the antibiotic were widely used, resistant strains of microbes would develop.

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@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

Less than a handful of antibiotics are currently in the pipeline to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria . . .

means:

There are currently just a few effective antibiotics now available to combat these resistant bacterias (superbugs), which are becoming resistant to all other antibiotics.
So you have just a few effective antibiotics, plus many other ones that have proved to be NOT effective in fighting bactera. This is what is making the scientists afraid, because one day, we may not have ANY antibiotics to effectively treat these superbugs.

Not "all other antibiotics" but " last resort antibiotics" in the starting post. The "last resort antibiotics " are the "a few effective antibiotics" (including but not limited to vancomycin").

That is why the original context has still confused me. And sorry your second explanation has not been consistent with the original context.

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Does diagramming the sentence help?

Scientists/ have issued / warning
over / rise
of/ superbugs
resistant
to / antibiotics.

(idiom)Less than a handful / are
of antibiotics
in / pipeline
to combat / antibiotic resistant bacteria
with / spread
of / genes
(adj) resistant
to / last resort antibiotics = 'nightmare scenario',
(WHO) / has said.

1 Reply

@PUNKEY,

What is vital is to understand what is "last resort antibiotics ."

The last resort antibiotics refer to the MOST POWERFUL antibiotics. Only because they are MOST POWERFUL, doctors can rely on them as a LAST RESORT.

So LAST RESORT antibiotics aren't any other antibiotics, they are our final life line to rescue us from deadly infections.

So, "in the pipeline" cannot mean "currently used," since the superbugs have had the gene resistent to the current LAST RESORT antibiotics!

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@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

Less than a handful of antibiotics (just a few types of anitbiotics) are currently in the pipeline ("in the pipeline" is an idiom. It can mean in research, in consideration or currently used) to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria with the worldwide spread of genes resistant to last resort antibiotics (the last type of antibiotics tried on patients) , a 'nightmare scenario', the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

1 Reply

@oristarA,

Quote:

("in the pipeline" is an idiom. It can mean [...] currently used)

No. If something is "is in the pipeline" it is on the way, approaching, will get here sometime in the future, IT IS NOT HERE YET.

1 Reply

@contrex,

contrex wrote:

Quote:
("in the pipeline" is an idiom. It can mean [...] currently used)

No. If something is "is in the pipeline" it is on the way, approaching, will get here sometime in the future, IT IS NOT HERE YET.

That's the point.

Thank you Contrex.

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The relationship between "Less than a handful of antibiotics " and "last resort antibiotics "

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