By Christelle D'Sa (Class of 2022)
Antibiotic resistant microbes are microorganisms that can survive antibiotics. Microbes are usually resistant to just one type of antibiotic, but sometimes they can gain resistance against multiple antibiotics. These bacteria are especially troublesome because their infections may not be treatable with current antibiotics, necessitating the discovery of new antibiotics.
The modern era of antibiotic resistance began in the early 20th century when Alexander Fleming discovered that the antibiotic penicillin could cure a wide variety of infections (Bushack 2016). Due to its effectiveness, penicillin became widespread in the coming years. While this relief provided a tentative benefit to the public, it didn’t last for long. Due to the widespread use of penicillin, microbes that were naturally resistant to penicillin were selected for and multiplied in the next few decades. The same pattern, also known as “evolution by natural selection,” occurred for other antibiotics that were created in the mid-20th century, such as streptomycin and ampicillin (Bushack 2016). One important mechanism that helps microbes spread their antibiotic resistance is their ability to pass on resistance to other microbes through small loops of DNA called plasmids. This passing of genetic material between two microbes is called horizontal gene transfer. During the use of penicillin and other antibiotics, horizontal gene transfer accelerated the spread of antibiotic resistance among microbes. This ease of passing plasmids has led to “superbugs,” bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics, in hospitals.
To curb the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, it is important to ensure that patients take the full course of antibiotics when they are prescribed, as well as decrease the widespread use of antibiotics. These steps would increase the variety of bacteria in specific populations, thus preventing the selection for bacteria that have a particular resistance to the antibiotic, such as penicillin. Taking the prescribed dosage of antibiotics for the correct amount of time is crucial because it eliminates the bacterial infection and minimizes the chance that the bacteria will develop resistance to the antibiotic. To implement the second solution, patients and the general public will need to be informed of how antibiotics work and why they can cause bacteria to gain antibiotic resistance. Without a proper understanding, people will continue to overuse antibiotics because they will not know about or be concerned about the consequences.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo also note that it is important to change the way people think about antibiotics and support change at the governmental level to promote health rather than profits (University of Waterloo 2022). For instance, larger systemic change at the governmental level would impact the distribution of antibiotics in many places, which ultimately could change how people view the use of antibiotics and in what situations they should be asked for and prescribed. A more regulated use of antibiotics will help ensure that these antibiotics remain effective against bacteria for a longer period of time. It will also reduce the emergence of superbugs in hospitals and other places.
Bacteria did not develop resistance to antibiotics in a few weeks or months, but instead they became resistant over a few decades. This resistance developed due to the overuse of antibiotics in the general public because of their widespread availability. Once antibiotic resistance is established in certain species of bacteria, a new antibiotic must be found to combat the bacteria as the original antibiotic is no longer effective. Resistance is problematic as it takes time to discover new antibiotics. Additionally, repeating the same process of overusing antibiotics could render new antibiotics useless in a few years. Therefore, it is essential that the use of antibiotics is carefully regulated to make sure that they remain effective against the bacterial infections they are currently used to combat.
References:
Bushack, Lecia. (2016, Feb. 17). A brief history of antibiotic resistance: How a medical miracle turned into the biggest public health danger of our time. Medical Daily. Retrieved May 13, 2022 from https://www.medicaldaily.com/antibiotic-resistance-history-373773
University of Waterloo. (2022, April 21). A layered approach is needed to prevent infections from becoming harder to treat. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 13, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220421094135.htm
Youngson, N. (N.d.) Creative Commons Medical Antibiotic Resistance Image. Picpedia.Org. https://pix4free.org/
The modern era of antibiotic resistance began in the early 20th century when Alexander Fleming discovered that the antibiotic penicillin could cure a wide variety of infections (Bushack 2016). Due to its effectiveness, penicillin became widespread in the coming years. While this relief provided a tentative benefit to the public, it didn’t last for long. Due to the widespread use of penicillin, microbes that were naturally resistant to penicillin were selected for and multiplied in the next few decades. The same pattern, also known as “evolution by natural selection,” occurred for other antibiotics that were created in the mid-20th century, such as streptomycin and ampicillin (Bushack 2016). One important mechanism that helps microbes spread their antibiotic resistance is their ability to pass on resistance to other microbes through small loops of DNA called plasmids. This passing of genetic material between two microbes is called horizontal gene transfer. During the use of penicillin and other antibiotics, horizontal gene transfer accelerated the spread of antibiotic resistance among microbes. This ease of passing plasmids has led to “superbugs,” bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics, in hospitals.
To curb the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, it is important to ensure that patients take the full course of antibiotics when they are prescribed, as well as decrease the widespread use of antibiotics. These steps would increase the variety of bacteria in specific populations, thus preventing the selection for bacteria that have a particular resistance to the antibiotic, such as penicillin. Taking the prescribed dosage of antibiotics for the correct amount of time is crucial because it eliminates the bacterial infection and minimizes the chance that the bacteria will develop resistance to the antibiotic. To implement the second solution, patients and the general public will need to be informed of how antibiotics work and why they can cause bacteria to gain antibiotic resistance. Without a proper understanding, people will continue to overuse antibiotics because they will not know about or be concerned about the consequences.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo also note that it is important to change the way people think about antibiotics and support change at the governmental level to promote health rather than profits (University of Waterloo 2022). For instance, larger systemic change at the governmental level would impact the distribution of antibiotics in many places, which ultimately could change how people view the use of antibiotics and in what situations they should be asked for and prescribed. A more regulated use of antibiotics will help ensure that these antibiotics remain effective against bacteria for a longer period of time. It will also reduce the emergence of superbugs in hospitals and other places.
Bacteria did not develop resistance to antibiotics in a few weeks or months, but instead they became resistant over a few decades. This resistance developed due to the overuse of antibiotics in the general public because of their widespread availability. Once antibiotic resistance is established in certain species of bacteria, a new antibiotic must be found to combat the bacteria as the original antibiotic is no longer effective. Resistance is problematic as it takes time to discover new antibiotics. Additionally, repeating the same process of overusing antibiotics could render new antibiotics useless in a few years. Therefore, it is essential that the use of antibiotics is carefully regulated to make sure that they remain effective against the bacterial infections they are currently used to combat.
References:
Bushack, Lecia. (2016, Feb. 17). A brief history of antibiotic resistance: How a medical miracle turned into the biggest public health danger of our time. Medical Daily. Retrieved May 13, 2022 from https://www.medicaldaily.com/antibiotic-resistance-history-373773
University of Waterloo. (2022, April 21). A layered approach is needed to prevent infections from becoming harder to treat. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 13, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220421094135.htm
Youngson, N. (N.d.) Creative Commons Medical Antibiotic Resistance Image. Picpedia.Org. https://pix4free.org/
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