Over the past few decades, there have been increased concerns regarding the rise of harmful, drug-resistant “superbug” bacteria. One area that is causing great concern is the utilization of unmonitored over-the-counter and Internet sales of different antibiotic medicines. During the recent decades, there has been a decrease in funding for finding new ways of fighting drug-resistant bacteria, and this has the potential to cause global problems as resistant strains of pathogenic organisms continue to evolve, like tuberculosis. In a recent report, it discussed that China has identified a new gene (mcr-1) that provides bacteria with resistance to our final line of antibiotic defense - polymyxins. This resistance gene was located on plasmids, meaning that this mcr-1 gene can spread to different bacteria. Polymyxins consist of colistins, which are antibiotics used worldwide in farming and in agriculture. This resistance gene was highly prevalent in E. coli samples taken from pigs and patients in South China. Jim O’Neill, former Goldman Sachs chief economist, stated that the threat is intensified by people willingly accessing drugs from online pharmacies. He emphasized that there needs to be better regulation and monitoring of drug quality and of unlicensed Internet distribution of antibiotics. It is being said that governments, regulators, and Internet companies need to work together and find a way to alleviate these “superbug” threats. The World Health Organization claims that if drastic steps are not taken, many of the current antibiotics will prove to be ineffective by the end of the century, leaving many people at risk for lethal infections. O’Neill has estimated that antibiotic and microbial resistance has the potential to kill an additional 10 million people per year and cost up to $100 trillion by 2050 if measures are not taken to bring this problem under control. He proposed one formidable option to combat these drug-resistant bacteria, and it involves drug companies putting forth $2 billion to allocate toward early-stage research and speeding up the development of new medicines to fight drug-resistant “superbug” bacteria.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/illegal-online-antibiotic-sales-are-fueling-the-rise-of-superbugs_564f3febe4b0d4093a5751f9?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000047
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-19/gene-that-makes-bacteria-resistant-to-antibiotics-found-in-china/6954756
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151119095828.htm
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30416844
Superbugs have been a formidable threat for some time now. Do you think that the cycle of combating a specific strain by developing a new antibiotic only to have a resistance develop then combating that strain with a new drug and so on... is actually avoidable? It would seem as though no matter how forward thinking the scientists are they will always be at disadvantage. Bacteria is a quickly evolving life form that has seemed to evade our control from the start. I am worried that there is no true way to avoid the next superbug.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it does seem we are in an evolutionary race with the bacteria having the advantage, I believe there are ways to help prevent the emergence of a new superbug. This starts with providing programs targeting the perception of the consumers and the training of physicians. Additionally, veterinarians and legislatures must get involved. If we can alter the mindset of popping a pill to fix all of our problems, we can save our antibiotics for cases that absolutely need them. Without the selection pressure of continuously unnecessary antibiotics, the resistance will no longer be a favorable adaption that becomes a fixed gene. Using antibiotics in feed for livestock or prescribing them to a patient just because they asked for them are a few examples of how we, as a society, have mistreated antibiotics. Responsible usage may be one step in combating the creation of the next superbug.
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