Antibiotic resistance threatens the future of global health

Antibiotic resistance threatens the future of global health

Sustainable development efforts have aspirations and goals in multiple fields and at all levels, especially those related to human health, and from here comes the issue of antibiotics. One of the most important medical achievements that contributed to saving millions of lives and controlling manybacterial diseasesthat were fatal in the past. However, with the passage of time, the uncontrolled and excessive use of these drugs has become a serious development challenge known as “antibiotic resistance.”

Therefore, according to World Health Organization estimates, antibiotic resistance constitutes a major threat that reaches our daily lives, exceeding the boundaries of hospitals, and threatening the return of bacterial diseases to their previous status as major causes of death. Therefore, in this article, we will address the dimensions of this problem and review the latest scientific innovations to confront this threat. In order to enhance awareness of the danger of antibiotic resistance, and provide practical, applicable solutions.

Dimensions of the problem

The problem of antibiotic resistance goes beyond public health and stands in the way of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal (3) “Good health and well-being”; When antibiotics lose their effectiveness, simple infections become a serious threat to life, leading to increased deaths and undermining progress towards universal health care.

This is because the World Health Organization estimates that antibiotic resistance directly caused the death of 1.27 million people around the world in 2019, and contributed – indirectly – to the death of 4.95 million people. This problem – in addition to human losses – also causes economic costs that are expected to reach one trillion US dollars by 2050.

Therefore, confronting this problem requires a deeper understanding of how antibiotics lose their effective effect, and the extent of the development of bacterial resistance, as treating simple infections can become complicated if bacteria continue to develop drug-resistant defenses. How does this happen, and what are the mechanisms that enable bacteria to resist antibiotics?

Bacterial resistance mechanisms

When we use antibiotics excessively or unnecessarily, we create a favorable environment for bacteria to develop defenses that resist the effects of drugs. These bacteria then adapt over time, acquiring new genes that give them the ability to survive the effects of antibiotics. This makes treating bacterial infections more difficult.

The problem does not stop there, as these resistance genes do not remain trapped within one type of bacteria, but rather can be easily transferred between multiple species through a process known as “horizontal gene transfer.” In other words, bacteria that have acquired resistance genes in a specific environment can transfer these genes to other species in different environments. Which leads to the rapid spread of the difficulty of controlling the outbreak of bacteria resistant to traditional medicines.

Why do we overuse antibiotics?

The overuse of antibiotics is due to several interconnected factors that contribute to the loss of their effectiveness. On the one hand, providing inaccurate or unnecessary prescriptions is a major factor, as many antibiotics are prescribed to treat viral diseases that are not affected by them, such as colds and influenza.

On the other hand, the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture and animal husbandry poses an additional threat, as they are used as a means of preventing diseases and increasing growth, which promotes the transmission of resistance genes to humans through the food chain. Also, many individuals lack awareness of the danger of misusing antibiotics, so they tend to use them without medical advice or without adhering to the specified doses. Which weakens its effect in the long term, and contributes to the exacerbation of the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance. This requires raising the level of awareness and commitment to its safe use.

Modern scientific discovery

To face this difficult challenge, scientists are working hard to develop advanced technologies. To monitor and understand antibiotic resistance genes, in the hope of limiting their spread and reducing their negative effects. One of the most recent promising innovations in this field is the CRISPR technology for detecting resistance genes in wastewater samples, a technology presented by two researchers from the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.”

CRISPR technology is a natural defense system in bacteria, as bacteria store parts of the genetic codes of viruses that infect them to identify them in the future when they attack again. Scientists have taken advantage of this mechanism to turn it into an accurate tool for monitoring antibiotic resistance genes, by using a protein to map specific sites in the DNA (RNA), and then cutting them precisely. This makes it easier to analyze or modify certain sequences, such as those carrying resistance to antibiotics.

This technology depends, in detail, on targeting specific parts of resistance genes, then breaking them down into small molecules. So that the process of extracting DNA and analyzing it with high accuracy is easy, even if these genes are in low concentrations. This unique approach allows the identification of new genes that were not previously observed, and opens new horizons for understanding the mechanisms of transmission of bacterial resistance in the environment.

This technology relies on wastewater; It is an ideal environment that reflects diverse human activity, and a place that contains a wide range of microorganisms and genetic material, including antibiotic resistance genes that may be undetected, or may be present in low concentrations in other environments. Analysis of these samples allows monitoring the spread of bacterial resistance on a large scale. Which provides important data for monitoring public health and taking rapid preventive measures.

How can we benefit from this technology?

This technology has many important practical applications, aiming to confront the problem of antibiotic resistance, as we can invest it in monitoring the spread of antibiotic resistance genes on a large scale, especially in environments exposed to environmental pollution. Which enables health authorities to take early preventive measures.

In addition, this technology contributes to improving antibiotic use policies, by providing accurate data on the effect of available drugs, directing doctors to use the most effective antibiotics, as well as supporting scientific research, as researchers have the opportunity to examine different environmental samples and understand how resistance genes are transmitted between various bacterial species. This technology can also be integrated into public health strategies; To monitor outbreaks of infectious diseases and develop sustainable treatment plans.

Therefore,Earth Guards believes that progress in this technology gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate the way we use antibiotics, and to take more conscious and responsible measures to preserve the effect of these vital medicines, and this requires concerted efforts between individuals, health authorities, and researchers. Let us reduce the dangers of antibiotic resistance, and protect our health and the health of future generations.