Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Paper Example The essays from McArdle, the Scientific American, and Sharma opened my eyes to the urgency of research on and policymaking regarding superbugs. I chose the topic of writing a policy that urges the government to provide financial incentives for antibiotic research, controls how healthcare workers prescribe antibiotics, bans the use of antibiotics for non-related applications in the agricultural sector, and prohibits the sale of over-the-counter antibiotics. My research questions are: How did superbugs develop? What are the current effects of superbugs on society? What can stakeholders do to prevent the development of superbugs and to resolve the national and global health issue of drug resistance? The starting points of my research are the essays from McArdle, the Scientific American, and Sharma, wherein McArdle gives an overview of the superbug problem and offers potential economic and legislative solutions. If the government and other stakeholders do not do anything about this probl em, bacterial infection will rise, and this will afflict and kill many people. At the same time, antibacterial medication prices will increase, which will prevent low-income people from receiving treatment that will help them survive drug-resistant diseases. To know more about the effects of superbugs on society and their historical development, I used the keywords â€Å"superbug drug resistance† in searching for relevant articles in EBSCOHost databases. I limited the publication years to 2009 to present and came up with 525 articles. I selected Walsh and Fischbach’s Scientific American article because they described the effects of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on the rise of deaths in the U.S. They also explained how MRSA developed. They further explored how new scientific approaches can resolve the resistance problem. While going through hundreds of search results, I also came across Leclercq’s article. He provided an update on drug resist ance issues and the challenges in designing new antibacterial medication. Aside from McArdle, the Scientific American article from the textbook showed the connection between antibiotics and agricultural problems. While researching for the effects and development of drug-resistant bacteria, I came across a lengthy article from Lessing. Lessing provides a useful section on the history of antibiotic use in the agricultural industry, which resulted to drug-resistant bacteria that afflict human beings. She shows how the quest for increasing profits produced ill consequences for human health in general. Lessing advocates citizen action because so far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Congress have not produced meaningful legislative gains that ban antibiotic use for non-therapeutic purposes in the agricultural sector. To gain deeper knowledge on antibiotic use in agriculture, I further searched for articles using the key words â€Å"drug resistance antibiotic livestock United S tates† in EBSCOhost. I found the article from Love et al. They described the history of medicated feeds, the nature of free-choice medicated feeds (FCMF) use, and U.S. policies that tackle antimicrobial drug use in food animals. Their article is important because they balance policy considerations with agricultural realities and needs. Aside from this article, Sapkota et al.’s study captured my attention because they examined the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant