Antibiotic Resistance Essay Example
As more people take antibiotics for unnecessary reasons, such as the flu, a viral disease. Antibiotics do not work against the flu, but if a person takes one, the antibiotic could end up killing the “good” bacteria inside that person's body. The “good” bacteria helps digest food, fight infections and keep the body robust. However, not all the bacteria will be killed when the antibiotic is sent through the body. The bacteria that survives will have a chance to grow and quickly multiply in size due to the lack of bacteria that is still in the body. The bacteria could even spread to other people if close body contact is involved. When antibiotics are prescribed, a mild one is generally prescribed before moving onto a stronger or more aggressive one. An example of a stronger antibiotic is Vancomycin. However, bacteria will eventually develop resistance to these drugs. Recently, a new superbug has emerged, by the name of Enterococci bacteria which is resistant to vancomycin, a last resort antibiotic. (7) (GO TO SLIDE 10)
Today, however, we are indeed fighting against antibiotic resistance, but it is not entirely effective. But how exactly are we trying? The FDA has encouraged the stopping of misuse and overuse of antibiotics. The FDA has also approved several new antibiotics since 2015. (Source 4) Another way that the world is attempting to stop antibiotic resistance is by having colleges and other institutions and companies try to create drugs as a form of research. However, this is extremely ineffective on the business end. Companies’ goals are to make money and if the cost for developing the antibiotic is more than the revenue, companies and universities are much less likely to contribute to the development of new antibiotics. (GO TO SLIDE 11)
Maofu Liao, an associate professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School says that, “One issue is that most drug development efforts depend on industry, but antibiotics are time-consuming and expensive to develop—and often aren’t necessarily required for treatment and aren’t taken by patients on a regular basis. It’s hard to make the business case to industry that it’s worthwhile to develop new antibiotics when so much effort and money are required, and profit isn’t predictable or immediate.” Liao explains that the cost of the development of the antibiotics are not eye catching and necessarily cheap. There is also no confirmed profit, due to the need for the antibiotic to be approved before it is deemed suitable for animal and human use. All of these factors combined show that there is dire need for new antibiotics in the future. (2) (GO TO SLIDE 12)
This is where indole carboxylates and gold nanoclusters come into play.
Researchers at the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research at the University of Oxford as well as many other institutions across the European continent have found a new type of enzyme blockers, called indole carboxylates. They can stop metallo-β-lactamase enzymes from working. This will effectively allow the antibiotic to attack and kill bad bacteria in the body. After the initial discovery of indole carboxylates, researchers chemically changed the aspects of the drug and tested them in combination with carbapenems. The indole carboxylates paired with the carbapenems were found to be five times more powerful than the carbapenems by themselves as well as at a less concentrated dosage. Another positive benefit that researchers found is that the mice who were being injected with the drug only suffered mild side effects, prompting this drug to possibly be released into the rest of the world for human use. (8 & 14) (GO TO SLIDE 13)
Another drug that is being created is not to stop new bacteria from getting more intense, but rather to increase the power and effectiveness of older antibiotics. Researchers from China's Southern University of Science and Technology and Fudan University, as well as the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, recently collaborated to repackage gold nanoclusters in order to make them more enticing to bacteria while also being less harmful to humans. To create this new gold nanocluster, the scientists combined a positive charged compound called pyridium and zwitterion, a compound with both negative and positive groupings. Pyridium makes the gold more attracted to bacteria, whereas the zwitterion was chosen due to past studies that showed it’s well matching with human tissue. When the gold nanoclusters were tested on Staphylococcus epidermidis, (MRSE) a methicillin resistant bacteria, the amplified nanoparticles severely lowered the bacteria’s ability to clump together. When tested on rats with MRSE skin, the gold nanoparticles helped healing without staying around and causing problems after their main purpose had been served. (11 & 12) (GO TO SLIDE 14)
Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the most serious challenges to world health, food security, and development. Antibiotic resistance can impact anyone, regardless of age or location. Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but human and animal overuse of antibiotics quickens the process. Antibiotic resistance leads to greater mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher medical expenses. Treatments such as gold nanoclusters and indole carboxylates, on the other hand, can change this and lower the death rate. Using these treatments, it is very likely that the estimated 10 million deaths per year by 2050 made by the World Health Organization will be much higher than the actual number of deaths per year. (10 & 13) (GO TO SLIDE 15)
