RESUMEN
The study presented in this article is about the role played by imagination when national and international organisations convey the idea of a dystopian crisis involved in the real transition to a postantibiotic era. The present is an era that can be defined as a time when no new antibiotics are discovered or developed, and existing antibiotics simultaneously become less effective since bacteria develop resistance against the active substances. Today, antibiotic resistance is an international fact; thousands of people die every year in Europe and the USA as a result of bacteria that have become resistant. Then, imagination can conjure up a different and a much more dystopian future. This article stems from a public debate concerning the global increase of antibiotic resistance; and will examine how the concept of fantasy and imagination is central in picturing such a future crisis in society. The article's empirical basis mainly consists of reports from global and Swedish organisations, dating from the 1990s and onwards. These fantasies show that our society has a strong urge to always try to understand and explain present time and to identify how 'our' era relates to the past as well as the future. The concept of crisis plays an important role in these fantasies, it is key to use it when thinking about change. The analysis builds on texts and illustrations from global organisations like the WHO and also national authorities in Sweden that aim to convey the science behind the challenge. The aim is to develop a theoretical and empirical understanding, from the perspective of cultural analysis, of how fantasy and crisis are linked when the future is conceived.
Asunto(s)
Antibacterianos , Bacterias , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Farmacorresistencia Microbiana , Predicción , Humanos , ImaginaciónRESUMEN
Medetomidine is under evaluation for use as an antifouling agent, and its effects on non-target aquatic organisms are therefore of interest. In this study, rainbow trout was exposed to low (0.5 and 5.0nM) concentrations of medetomidine for up to 54 days. Recently we have reported on effects on paleness and melanophore aggregation of medetomidine in these fish. Here, specific growth rates were investigated together with a broad set of physiological parameters including plasma levels of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and leptin, glucose and haemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), condition factor, liver and heart somatic indexes (LSI, HSI). Hepatic enzyme activities of CYP1A (EROD activity), glutathione S-transferases (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) were also measured. Additionally, hepatic mRNA expression was analysed through microarray and quantitative PCR in fish sampled after 31 days of exposure. Medetomidine at both concentrations significantly lowered blood glucose levels and the higher concentration significantly reduced the LSI. The mRNA expression analysis revealed few differentially expressed genes in the liver and the false discovery rate was high. Taken together, the results suggest that medetomidine at investigated concentrations could interfere with carbohydrate metabolism of exposed fish but without any clear consequences for growth.