Study into superbugs will invite 2,000 stool samples

Up to 2,000 people in England will be asked to submit stool samples so scientists can find out more about superbug levels in the population.

Health officials want to design better ways of tackling bacteria that no longer respond to medicines, known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which kill thousands of people each year in the UK and over a million worldwide.

Experts say using antibiotics for the wrong reasons has made the problem worse.  Overuse of antibiotics means bacteria can survive the treatment designed to eliminate them, making serious complications, such as bloodstream infections, sepsis and prolonged hospital stays more likely.

Dr Russell Hope from the UK Health Security Agency said “By understanding more about the burden of antimicrobial resistance in healthy people in the general population and the factors that mean someone is more likely to be carrying a resistant organism, we will be able to design better ways to tackle AMR in different populations.”

A random selection of people from different areas of the country will be invited by post to send in stool samples, as well as nose or throat swabs.  Researchers will also study the impact of factors such as age, ethnicity, gender and location.

Dr Hope went on to say that everyone could help cut antibiotic resistance by taking medicines only as prescribed and never sharing them.

“Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them puts you and your loved ones at risk of having an untreatable infection in future.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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