Antibiotics: Mankinds Race Against a Killer Bacteria

Published on Monday, 02 August 2010 15:57

by Charna Walfall

 

Antibiotics
Antibiotics were first introduced to us nearly 60 years ago. Described as the 'wonder drug', antibiotics were created to fight against the dreaded bacteria, which attack the immune system causing it to no longer function properly, or fight off infection. Antibiotics such as Penicillin or Cephalosporin are the most common and have the least side effects. However 'Trimethoprim' can cause blood disorders. As it stands, there are over 100 different types of antibiotics on the market. So wouldn’t you think that at least one of these would have the power to overcome bacteria? Unfortunately not!

Of course, medics and scientists have been struggling for years to create a drug that can overcome the ever increasing swarm of bacteria that plagues society. With advance technology, one would assume that scientists could conjure up and find a solution to eradicate the increased amount of bacteria and the new ones that are becoming present. Especially with the sophistication of hygiene and cleanliness compared to the olden days it would be presumed that bacteria could be better controlled?

Is there a scientific need for new antibiotics?
Contrary to what many may think, the rage of the bacteria isn’t due to more bacteria being present in the air or, down to the way that we live. It is more to do with the increased usage of the antibiotics themselves, which causes antibiotics resistance. Antibiotic resistance is where bacteria become immune to the antibiotics; as the increased exposure decreases the effect that it has upon it. Antibiotic resistance occurs when so many patients are over exposed to prescribed antibiotics causing them to lose their effectiveness to work. A scenario we see so often in films where the victim turns the villain comes to play in our health when the cure becomes the cause extreme. In extreme cases antibiotics resistance can actually cause life threatening illnesses.

The irony of this is the so called 'wonder drug' created to fight bacteria is potentially more harmful than the individual bacteria itself. Now that doesn’t mean that anyone who is using antibiotics is going to contract a life threatening disease but those who are using these prescribed drugs for long periods of time, should be aware of long term effects.

Red light signals are flashing; there is definitely a scientific urgency to produce new antibiotics. So how are these new antibiotics going to be made? New antibiotics are made from chemically manipulating existing ones to produces new ones. This would seem a feasible solution, however if they’re going to be using existing antibiotics to form new ones, are scientists sure that the new ones won’t come with the same side effects? After all they are from the same molecules. Could these molecules have significant prominent traits for certain symptoms that are already present?

What can be done?
However these questions are irrelevant to an extent as, even if they are more effective and don’t have the same traits as the existing antibiotics this, still does not reduce antibiotic resistance. As stated before antibiotics are prescribed drugs. Prescribed being the operative word, meaning they can only be dispensed by a doctor on prescription. So why are medics so eager to hand out vast amounts of antibiotics knowing the dangers of over exposure to them? Especially if they know that this can lead to life threatening diseases. Are doctors becoming negligent and unwilling to take time out to understand patient’s symptoms more thoroughly and run more test or, is it that the bacteria has become more aggressive and patients need more treatment to combat them. If the later is true then this is a viable excuse, however if the prior is true then, it may not be a new batch of antibiotic but rather a new batch of doctors that are not so free willing and maybe more open to other medicines or cures. It seems quite dramatic; however the only way to curb antibiotic resistance is to reduce the amount of prescriptions for them.

Vipin M Vashishtha; Consulting Paediatrician in his article titled Growing Antibiotics Resistance and the Need for New Antibiotics remarks that “A global strategy is urgently needed to create a stable research infrastructure for antimicrobial development. Unless antibacterial development is re-energized, there is a serious risk that a growing proportion of infections, especially in hospitals, will become effectively untreatable”. It is clear then that experts have recognised the importance of treating antibiotic resistance.

Imperial College of London scientists have disclosed a potential structure for a new antibiotic produced by the T7 virus that fights against bacteria. This produces an atom Gp2. The focus of this is that, it interferes with the enzymes RNA Polymerase, this is the central system were the genes are “read”. Gp2 is used to stop the RNA Polymerase from functioning. In which scientists would need to replicate this structure to create a new antibiotic. This seems more promising than before, however this is going to be long time away from development, but knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel, which is what we all want to know.

As this is a starting point it seems that Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) have actually put in place to create “10 x 20” initiative is 10 new antibiotics to eradicate the increase in resistance to antibiotics that are planned to be developed by 2020. This is a global commitment that they feel will ensure the health of patients worldwide.

Solution
Personally, this seems rather a long time, as we need something now especially as we are trying to reduce the amount of exposure. Nevertheless these new antibiotics are said to be stronger and more powerful and long lasting. This sounds like the best option as, if these new antibiotics are to be stronger and long lasting then patients may not need to be using these drugs so often, which eventually would reduce the resistance to antibiotics. If scientists are in the process of planning new antibiotics it would seem that they have realised the urgency.

The magnitude of antibiotics resistance is more extreme than you and I would think. Antibiotics are essentially needed when it comes to fighting bacteria’s especially those that are born in hospitals such as MRSA. MRSA bugs affect over 90,000 people in the US, which is more than the amount of people who die from HIV/AIDS and Parkinson disease combined. Again this signals the enormity of how important it is to find a new antibiotic that could reduce the usage or even fight the bacteria before it actually becomes an epidemic.

So it seems that yes, there is an urgent scientific need for new antibiotics, as this will help fight against present and future bacteria. Though it may take 10 years to develop a new molecule it seems promising. But can patients wait that long and if so, will this be the cure that we need?

To summarise, Doctors need to find ways of reducing the amount of antibiotics that they give out and find alternative solutions. If we can reduce the period of time that patients are on these drugs, inevitable this would be the first step to fighting mankind’s race against the killer bacteria.

Got a question or want to make an observation? Join the discussion forum and have your say.

Related Links & videos

Antibiotic Resistance

Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics

The wonderful world of antibiotic resistance (video)

Can bacteria resist antibiotics? (video)

Further Reading
"Growing Antibiotics Resistance and the Need for New Antibiotics"
Vipin M Vashishtha, Volume 47__June 17, 2010 pg 505-506

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