Caution over antibiotics alternative
Researchers are urging caution over new drug alternatives to antibiotics
Scientists says new types of drugs which limit the symptoms of an infection, rather than killing it as with antibiotics, need further study to measure their long term consequences.
The new types of drugs are being developed by the pharmaceutical industry as an alternative to antibiotics, to overcome the widespread problem of infections becoming antibiotic resistant.
Rather than killing an infection, the new drugs will limit the symptoms caused by a bug or virus in the body, enabling the patient to tolerate disease, and buying the immune system time to defeat the infection naturally.
Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Liverpool have been using a mathematical model to look at how at how these new drugs could affect how infections spread and evolve.
They found that in cases where the symptoms are not linked to the spread of disease, these drugs may prevent an infection from evolving too quickly, and the drugs will be useful.
But in other cases, the drugs will lead to people who appear healthy, but who are highly infectious and so more likely to pass on the disease.
The research study was published in PLoS Biology.
Dr Pedro Vale, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, said: "In treating infections with drugs, we change their environment, but bacteria and other infectious agents are incredibly good at adapting to their environment.
"Damage limitation therapies may be a useful alternative to antibiotics, but we should be cautious, and investigate their potential long-term consequences. Limiting damage may work for the individual, but could, in some cases, increase disease spread."
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
