Antibiotic Resistance: A Medical Crisis
By: Vijini Mallawaarachchi
Tags: Antibiotics, Health, Medicine, Science, Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic Resistance: A Medical Crisis

What you must know about antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop resistance towards the medicines that are designed to destroy them. The bacteria will not respond to medicine and continue to grow, leading to severe complications and even death. This has led to serious implications, especially in people with chronic illnesses as we become unable to treat infections and affect global health. In this article, let’s see what is antibiotic resistance, how it occurred in the first place, its impact and what steps can be taken to prevent and control its impact.

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Antibiotics

Bacteria are single-cell organisms that can be found everywhere. Your body houses trillions of bacteria and they help the body carry out essential functions. If you have come across my previous article Metagenomics — Who is there and what are they doing? you may know that these bacteria play an important role in our metabolism and immune system.

However, some bacteria can harm your body and even kill you. Many people have died from bacterial infections until the first commercialized antibiotic penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. The discovery of antibiotics revolutionised medicine and saved many lives which might have been lost due to bacterial infections. Antibiotics destroy bacterial cells by breaking their outer layer so that their insides leak out, eventually killing the cells. Antibiotics also attack the genetic material to slow down the reproduction of bacterial cells and help our immune system fight against bacterial infections.

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Antibiotic Resistance

Over time, some bacteria have evolved to protect themselves, adapted their cellular structure and gained resistance towards antibiotics. Bacterial cells can even transfer their genetic material among other bacterial cells allowing the new cells to gain antibiotic resistance. When these bacteria gain such “superpowers” and become resistant to most of the antibiotics used to treat infections, they are known as superbugs [1]. Many treatments such as organ transplants, cancer therapy and treatments of chronic diseases depend on the ability of antibiotics to fight against infections. If antibiotics lose their effectiveness, the risk of getting infections during these treatments increases, allowing superbugs to take over and eventually leading to death.

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According to the CDC, over 2.8 million people are infected and over 35,000 deaths have been reported in the United States each year due to antibiotic-resistant infections [2]. Some antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains include,

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Clostridioides difficile

Staphylococcus aureus

Candida auris

Neisseria gonorrhoea

You can find a list of selected bacterial strains which have shown resistance over time from here.

Factors that have caused Antibiotic Resistance

There are a few significant reasons which have lead to this “antibiotic apocalypse”. One major reason is that many of us are overusing antibiotics [3], even as a “one-shot” remedy to cure a common cold within 2 to 3 days. The same goes for doctors who over-prescribe antibiotics. I have heard so many stories from my mother, who is a doctor, that some doctors prescribe powerful antibiotics even for patients with mild infections so that the infections will be cured within a few days. The doctors’ reputation spreads and patients will keep on consulting them due to their so-called “effective” treatment leading to speedy recoveries.

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On the other hand, the mindset of patients matters as well. You should give your body enough rest, time and strength (by eating clean and healthy) to fight against the infection and cure naturally. Antibiotics should be a last resort treatment if your immune system is unable to handle the infection. If a doctor does not prescribe any antibiotics or the antibiotics take time to respond, then patients will think that they are not taken seriously and demand antibiotics. These are very sad situations as there is a high chance for these common bacterial strains to adapt to these powerful antibiotics (even though the body’s immune system can handle the infection or a mild antibiotic is sufficient to kill it) and gain antibiotic resistance given the time.

If we use antibiotics when they’re not necessary, we may well not have them when they are most needed. -Dr. Tom Frieden

Another key reason for the development of antibiotic resistance is the overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming [3]. Unhygienic areas where animals are held in large numbers can create a perfect breeding ground for germs and diseases. Hence, many animals are given antibiotics to prevent them from getting sick. Moreover, animals are given antibiotics to promote their growth as well. Unfortunately, this has created more bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics over time and they are likely to enter our food chain, even without us noticing.

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Limiting the Spread

According to the WHO, here is a list of things we can do as individuals to limit the impact of superbugs and limit their spread [4].

Use antibiotics only when prescribed by a certified health professional.

Do not demand antibiotics if your health professional says that you do not need them.

Follow your health professional’s advice when using antibiotics.

Do not share or use leftover antibiotics.

Practice good hygiene.

Prepare food hygienically.

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Final Thoughts

Science advances day-by-day and extensive research is carried out to develop new antibiotics as old ones become less effective. At the same time, bacteria evolve and start resisting new antibiotics. Alternatives such as phage therapy using naturally-occurring bacteriophages are being tested to attack specific bacteria. Hence, there is a chance to combat superbugs and the global problem of antibiotic resistance.

Hope you found this article useful and informative. Remember to think twice the next time when you are taking antibiotics for a common cold! 🦠

Stay healthy and safe.

Cheers! 😃

References

[1] Superbugs: Everything you need to know (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327093#what-are-superbugs)

[2] (https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about.html#:~:text=Antibiotic%20resistance%20happens%20when%20germs,and%20sometimes%20impossible%2C%20to%20treat.)

[3] 6 Factors That Have Caused Antibiotic Resistance (https://infectioncontrol.tips/2015/11/18/6-factors-that-have-caused-antibiotic-resistance/)

[4] Antibiotic resistance — WHO (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance)