Antibiotics are a range of medicines that work against infections through extermination or containment of bacteria (Ventola, 2015). Technically, any drug that kills disease-causing germs in the body is an antibiotic, but many people prefer to use the term when referring to medicines that kill bacteria.
Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics through genetic mutation or acquired resistance from other bacteria. Genetic mutations occur when rare spontaneous changes take place within the bacteria’s genetic material (Ventola, 2015). Generally, mutations in bacteria occur between the ratios of 1 in 1,000,000 cells and 1 in 10,000,000 cells. Select mutations allow bacteria to produce enzymes that render antibiotics powerless. Some can get rid of the cell that antibiotics target while others may block entry ports that let in antibiotics in the cells or create mechanisms that transport antibiotics away from the target.
Resistance through acquisition from other bacteria occurs in various ways. When a bacterium undergoes conjugation (a mating process), it can transfer genetic material to another bacterium, thus enabling resistance spread to other bacteria (Ventola, 2015). Otherwise, resistance can spread through viruses by way of injecting resistance traits to attacked bacteria. Bacteria may also acquire “free” or naked DNA from the surrounding environment.
Healthcare professionals limit the spread of antibiotic resistance by prescribing them when they are likely to benefit the patient, prescribing the right antibiotic for a specific illness, instructing users to use only when correctly prescribed, and collaborating with patients and other health professionals. Scientists have suggested that antibiotic resistance can also be curbed through a gene–editing system to turn off certain genes that spur resistance (Grush, 2014).
Antibiotic resistance poses a number of risks to the global population. When antibiotics lose their treatment power, doctors must resort to more expensive alternatives which raise the duration of hospital stay, and leads to a high economic burden on the families of patients. Additionally, antibiotic resistance is threatening the achievement of modern medicine. Chemotherapy, organ transplants, and surgeries may become more risky as antibiotics become ineffective (World Health Organization, 2018). Infections that are caused by bacteria are also likely to become common and more deadly.
The world of antibiotics has seen a steady decline in the number of new antibiotics over the recent past and this is connected to the rise of resistance. Resistance rates are now at 60 percent compared to 10 to 15% in the 90s. Many antibiotics have, thus, become ineffective in treating diseases and ultimately baseless (Krans, 2014). The discovery and testing of new antibiotics is not only expensive but also time-consuming. This has led to the abandonment of the field by many pharmaceutical companies.
References
Grush, L. (2014). Consent Form | Popular Science. [online] Popsci.com. Available at: https://www.popsci.com/article/science/editing-genes-superbugs-turn-antibiotic-resistance [Accessed 5 Jul. 2018].
Krans, B. (2014). Few New Drugs: Why the Antibiotic Pipeline Is Running Dry. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/antibiotics/why-pipeline-running-dry#decline [Accessed 5 Jul. 2018].
Ventola, C. L. (2015). The antibiotic resistance crisis: part 1: causes and threats. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 40(4), 277.World Health Organization. (2018). Antibiotic resistance. [online] Available at: http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance [Accessed 5 Jul. 2018].
