Antibiotic résistence

Eya Hamdani                                                                                                           Words: 395

Group: Friday

Antibiotic resistance

It is surprising to learn that despite their microscopic size, bacteria produce more biomass overall than all plants and animals combined. Most of these single-celled microorganisms are harmless and even helpful, but some can lead to dangerous diseases. They are everywhere. Fortunately, antibiotics that do not harm human cells have been developed to fight infections. However, super bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics have emerged due to the excessive and unnecessary use of antibiotics1. Despite the challenges, researchers are working to develop new treatments such as limiting the antibiotic use, or the development of new effective drugs.

Primarily, antibiotics were heavily overprescribed for viral infections that they had no effect on in the early days. Large volumes of antibiotics increase bacteria's exposure to antibiotics and thus their chance to develop resistance. Additionally, agriculture is the largest consumer of antibiotics, using them not only to treat infections but to promote food animal growth. In fact, according to an article in the online journal sciencedirect.com, “A high proportion of the antibiotics added to animal feed is excreted in urine or manure. In some cases, as much as 90% of the antibiotic administered orally may pass through the animal unchanged.” Thus, controlling the antibiotic use in both healthcare and agriculture is necessary. This entails reducing the excessive and unnecessary antibiotic use for minor infections that can resolve on their own as well as implementing more sustainable agriculture practices.

Secondly, aside from antibiotics, several effective drugs can be used to combat bacterial infections. Bacteriophages, for example, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They work by binding to receptors on the bacterial cell surface and injecting their genetic material, causing the bacteria to burst open. According to an article of the National Library of Medicine, “Although the idea of using bacterial viruses therapeutically against bacterial infections has recently gained traction in response to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens, the practice has been around for nearly a century.”

In conclusion, antibiotics have been a critical tool in the fight against bacterial infections, but their excessive and unnecessary use has led to the emergence of super bacteria resistant to these drugs. Researchers are exploring alternative treatments such as bacteriophages and vaccines to combat this growing problem. Therefore, by controlling antibiotic use and continuing to develop new treatments, a future where bacterial infections are effectively prevented and treated is possible.

Articles:

“Although the idea of using bacterial viruses therapeutically against bacterial infections has recently gained traction in response to the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens, the practice has been around for nearly a century. Since the initial observations of phage-induced bacterial lysis, the biological nature of phage, as well as their therapeutic value, has been controversial. Frederick Twort first described the characteristic zone of lysis associated with phage infection in 1915, but it was Felix d’Herelle who identified the source of this phenomenon, attributed the plaques to bacterial viruses, and coined the term “bacteriophage” (literally “bacteria-eater”). It was also d’Herelle who conceived of the idea to use phages therapeutically and is responsible for the first documented clinical use of phage in 1919 at the Hôpital des Enfants-Malades in Paris where phages were successfully used to treat 4 pediatric cases of bacterial dysentery. Despite several successful trials, d’Herelle’s early experiments were notorious for being poorly controlled and his research was vigorously disputed by the scientific community. Nevertheless, d’Herelle continued to pioneer phage therapy with the treatment of dysentery, cholera, and the bubonic plague in the early 20th century with a series of phage therapy centers and commercial phage production plants throughout Europe and India. One 1931 trial of phage therapy as a treatment for cholera in the Punjab region of India involved a cohort of 118 control subjects and 73 experimental subjects who received phage treatment; d’Herelle observed a 90% reduction in mortality with 74 lethal outcomes in the control group and only 5 in the experimental group.”2

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