Threats Due to Antibiotic Resistance - Research Paper Example

Threats due to antibiotic resistance Antibiotics are drugs which are used to fight out bacterial infections which help in alleviating the invading pathogen when taken appropriately. However, when these drugs are prescribed when they are actually not required they are not helpful in treating the disease and at the same time the patient is also exposed to the various side effects of the antibiotic. This gives rise to antibiotic resistance over time and the patients are at risk of developing resistant infections in future. These can cause serious illness or even death in the most resistant cases (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Antibiotic resistance is a growing pandemic which has resulted in serious infections and death due to resistance bacteria. Worldwide estimates have revealed that infections that persist due to antibiotic resistance are the second-leading cause of death. In many other cases it has resulted in increased treatment costs, hospital stay and doctor visits (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). This development of resistance has been largely attributed to the ability of microbes to adapt and mutate in order to survive in their host organisms. While it is nearly impossible to prevent this mutating ability of microbes and hence the development of resistance to antibiotics, humans can nevertheless control the spread of antibiotic resistance by taking precautionary measures to prevent infections, regulating the use of antibiotics both as a cure for infections as well its use in food animals and agriculture where it is used to prevent the spread of pathogens. While these steps will not eliminate the development of antibiotic resistance by microbes it will however slow the spread of the resistance (Spellberg et al, 2008; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). This will give enough time for scientists to come up with alternative strategies such as development of new antibiotics, immunotherapeutics and vaccines that would help in effectively combating the infection without the fear of resistance (Spellberg et al, 2008). According to the national summary data published by the Center for Disease control in the US, the minimum number of deaths and illnesses occurring in the country directly as a result of antibiotic resistance is about 23,000 and 2 million respectively. In many other cases, death results due to indirect complications caused by the development of antibiotic resistance. The effects due to antibiotic resistance do not only stop with individuals affected by the specific organism; as in addition it would also increase the complications due to infections in people undergoing bone marrow and organ transplants and those who are undertaking treatment for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis and who are (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Based on the CDC data the threat levels have been classified as urgent, serious and concerning based on the risks associated with the antibiotic resistance by specific microbes. Under the urgent category the serious threats posed by Clostridium difficile, Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae microbes have been included. Several organisms have been included under the serious category such as Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, drug-resistant Salmonella typhi, Shigella and tuberculosis. In the concerning threat level Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus Group A and Clindamycin-resistant Streptococcus Group B have been included. Among the many bacteria serious threats to resistance are being posed by gram-negative bacteria as many of which are becoming increasingly resistant to all drugs which are currently being used for treatment. Despite the available current data information on the complete picture about the exact number of incidences and prevalence of these threats are still not collected systematically. There is also a lack of an international body for surveillance of the threats posed by these antibiotics and its use in healthcare and agriculture largely goes unreported (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013) One of the major reasons for the development of antibiotic resistance is the ability of microbes to adapt and mutate to specific environments and compounds such as antibiotics. While the credit of discovering antibiotics is given to humans microbes are in fact the organisms which invented these antibiotics as indicated by genetic analysis studies. Even prior to the discovery of antibiotics in the mid-20th century, microbes possessed metabolic pathways to produce antibiotics and enzymes that would offer resistance to these antibiotics when required. An example of which is the beta-lactam class of antibiotics and the beta-lactamase enzyme that offer resistance to these antibiotics. Thus it is evident that the development of antibiotic resistance by microbes cannot be alleviated. However, human use of these antibiotics can be regulated which would help in reducing the spread of resistance to antibiotics. As a first step measures to avoid infections need to be undertaken which would eventually reduce the need for antibiotics. Simple steps such as immunization, safe food preparation, maintaining a clean body can all help uin this regard. Another major step would be to regulate the use of antibiotics in both humans and animals. Currently issues pertaining to unregulated use of these antibiotics both by the medical fraternity to treat infections and to accelerate growth in animals used in food production and agriculture have raised serious concerns about the potential antibiotic resistance which can result from these activities. In most human cases the use of antibiotics is not required and it is almost unnecessary in the case of animals. Physicians and food producers should remain committed to using antibiotics only when required which would greatly help in slowing down the development of antibiotic resistance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013; Antibiotic threat, 2013). In addition, it is also essential to track the reasons for developing resistance to an infection as it would enable physicians to devise suitable strategies to prevent the reoccurrence of the infection and its subsequent spreading. However the development of resistance to antibiotics cannot be completely alleviated due to the inherent ability of microbes to mutate and find alternate routes of resisting the drug. This calls for the need to constantly develop new diagnostic tests to track the development of resistance and new drugs to fight against the resistant organisms (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). However, recent studies have shown that there has been a considerable decline in the production of new antibiotics over the past few decades. One of the main reasons cited for this problem is the reduced profits that are associated with antibiotic production as these drugs are essentially taken only for a short duration compared to other drugs which are required to be taken for life. In addition when a cautious approach is undertaken to prescribe antibiotics it in turn has a negative effect on the sale of these drugs. Along with the above factors lack of appropriate guidance from agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the acceptable safety and efficacy requirement of antibiotics further deters pharmaceutical companies from venturing into new antibiotic production (Spellberg et al, 2008). There are several agencies that are actively involved in the advocacy of growing resistance to antibiotics and the need to control its spread. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (ISDA) has raised awareness about the issue to the medical community in their recent publications with particular emphasis on the declining development of new antibiotics. It has also urged the FDA to publish guidelines for the production of new anti-infective drugs. ISDA has also made attempts to create public awareness on the issue and is also actively working with congressional leaders towards implementation of a suitable legislation addressing the issue. This could however take some time as it requires convincing politicians on the critical nature of the problem and work out strategies that could prevent the spread of drug resistance (Spellberg et al, 2008; Antibiotic threat, 2013). The growing concerns on antibiotic resistance have paved the way for the development of novel therapies such as vaccines and treatments based on antibodies. However, these novel drugs are still in the developmental stage and even after it enters the market these drugs can be used as preventive measures to control infections. In the treatment of infections these can only complement antibiotics whose need cannot be completely eliminated. Thus there is a stronger need to develop new antibiotics as these drugs have provided immense support in cases involving surgeries and advanced medical treatments (Spellberg et al, 2008). In conclusion, there are innumerable benefits provided by antibiotics to the people and it is about time to safeguard these drugs from microbes which are bestowed with the power of mutation and the ability to resist the action of these drugs. In doing so, we will be able to save the lives of people who are left to succumb to infectious diseases. The medical fraternity has an important role to play in educating themselves, their patients, the general public, media and politicians about the seriousness of the problem at hand and work together in effectively using antibiotics in future. There is also increased emphasis on the need to produce new antibiotics as those already resistant to microbes would no longer be of use for combating serious infections. And as antibiotics are only deemed to be effective in the treatment of infectious diseases there is a need for continuous research and development in antibiotic production. In this regards researchers also have an important role in lobbying with funding agencies, pharmaceutical industries and politicians to gain their support for the production of new antibiotics (Spellberg et al, 2008; Antibiotic threat, 2013). Works cited “Antibiotic threat.” Editorial. Nature 499, 379(25 July 2013). doi:10.1038/499379b Spellberg, Brad., Guidos, Robert., Gilbert, David., Bradley, John., Boucher, W. Helen., Scheld, W. Michael., Bartlett, G. John., Edwards, John Jr and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The Epidemic of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections: A Call to Action for the Medical Community from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clinical Infectious Diseases, (2008) 46 (2): 155-164. doi: 10.1086/524891 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013. Atlanta, Georgia, 2013. Print. Read More