Introduction:
Antibiotic resistance is developed when bacteria change with time and no longer respond to antibiotic medicines. As a result, it becomes very hard to treat infections, which might also cause serious issues. These pathogens are bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc.
Various kinds of pathogens have developed resistance against antibiotics. Some of them are Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant, enterococcus (VRE), multi-drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB), Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) gut bacteria.
What Is Antibiotic Resistance?
Antibiotic resistance is seen when the bacteria starts to change itself and develop protection against certain antibiotics, due to which the antibiotics cannot kill them or control their growth. Due to this change, it becomes too difficult to treat the bacterial infection. Antibiotic resistance has become a concerning issue worldwide. In the case of antibiotic resistance, very few antibiotics are effective against certain kinds of bacteria, but some other antibiotics may work. But having as many treatment options available is best.
What Causes Antibiotic Resistance?
Antibiotic resistance can be caused due to multiple reasons. Some of these reasons are:
-
Overusing antibiotics: The use of antibiotics, even when it is unnecessary or cannot help, can develop antibiotic resistance. For instance, most cases of sore throat (pharyngitis) are viral, but people take antibiotics, which cannot help. Even bacterial ear infections can get better without the need for antibiotics.
-
Missing antibiotics: If a person misses any of the various doses of antibiotics, bacteria take advantage of such a situation and start replicating. As they multiply, they start mutating. Mutated bacteria can easily become resistant to an antibiotic.
-
Agricultural Use: Bacteria in animals can also make themselves antibiotic-resistant.
-
Spontaneous resistance: In some cases, the bacterium's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) mutates on its own. The antibiotics find it difficult to identify this new genetic makeup, so resistance is developed.
-
Transmitted resistance: An individual with contagious drug resistance bacterial infection can also pass it to others.
Which Are the Emerging Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens?
Some bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics that were once frequently used to treat them. For example, Staphylococcus aureus (golden staph or MRSA) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the cause of gonorrhea) are now almost resistant to Benzylpenicillin. Earlier, these infections were frequently controlled by Penicillin. One of the most serious concerns about antibiotic resistance is that some bacteria have become resistant to almost all quickly available antibiotics. These bacteria can cause serious illness, a major public health issue these days. Important examples of pathogens that have become antibiotic-resistant are:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA):
-
Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogen generally seen on the skin or nose of healthy individuals. These bacteria do not cause harm but might cause an infection after entering a wound. This bacteria is resistant to various antibiotics, which include Methicillin.
-
Many Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infections caught outside the hospital are skin infections. In various medical centers, MRSA results in life-threatening bloodstream and surgical-site infections, as well as pneumonia. This is one of the most frequently seen antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
-
Symptoms of MRSA infection can be mostly seen, beginning as small red bumps on the skin that can turn into deep, painful abscesses or boils, pus-filled masses beneath the skin. These require surgical drainage. It can also invade other body parts, causing serious infections in joints, bones, etc.
Streptococcus Pneumoniae:
These bacteria are capable of causing various illnesses of the respiratory tract, like pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs. They can also lead to ear infections and infection of the meninges of the brain and the spinal cord, called meningitis. These bacteria can also cause infection of the blood, called bacteremia. It can be transmitted via air droplets, coughing, sneezing, or by closely contacting a contaminated person. Some of the common symptoms seen are cold, cough, fever, shortness of breath, etc. It can lead to some fatal conditions if not treated timely.
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) gut bacteria:
Enterobacteria are the class of bacteria that are present in the digestive tract and in the environment as well. These pathogens include Escherichia coli (E.coli), Salmonella, and Shigella. They can be seen in the intestines without causing any harm. In case of contaminated food or water by a few strains of Enterobacteria, it can cause food poisoning and gastroenteritis. The symptoms of these are mostly diarrhea and vomiting.
Carbapenem is an antibiotic that can treat a few antibiotic-resistant infections caused by enterobacteria. But they can become resistant to Carbapenem as well. In such situations, they are called Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE):
These pathogens can cause infections of the urinary tract, bloodstream, or wounds linked with catheterization, etc. Their symptoms can vary as per the site of the infection. When these bacteria become resistant to Vancomycin, they are termed Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).
Multi-drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB):
This is caused by an organism that becomes resistant to drugs given for the treatment of tuberculosis disease. They become resistant to at least Isoniazid and Rifampin, the two most potent and vital drugs to cure TB.
What Are the Ways to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance?
Some of the ways to prevent antibiotic resistance are:
-
Minimize prescribing unnecessarily and overprescribing of antibiotics. This is seen when people expect doctors to prescribe antibiotics for an illness caused by a virus (antibiotics do not work against viral illness).
-
People should complete the entire course of any prescribed antibiotic so that it can become effective and not breed resistance.
-
People should practice good hygiene habits like proper hand-washing and using proper infection control procedures.
Conclusion:
Antibiotic resistance is developed when bacteria stop responding to a particular antibiotic. Due to this, that antibiotic becomes incapable of killing those bacteria or controlling their growth. This has become an issue of concern because of the low availability of treatment against certain kinds of infection. Some emerging pathogens becoming antibiotic-resistant are Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, etc.
