Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

June 27, 2023

3 min read

Antibiotics are medicines that are used for the prevention and treatment of bacterial infections. Repeated use of certain antibiotics can change the bacteria, making them resistant to the effects of antibiotics.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria do not react to standard antibiotics. This can make it harder to treat them, causing increased medical costs, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality.

Antibiotic-resistant infections have become an urgent global threat to public health, causing nearly 5 million deaths in 2019. It can affect people in different life stages and create havoc in healthcare, agriculture, and veterinary industries.

What causes antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat bacterial infections. While treatments kill most bacteria, a few may remain, which become resistant to the antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance can happen when the bacteria:

Develops an ability to pump medicine out of its cell
Develops an ability to stop the drug’s effect
Changes or mutates in a way that the treatment does not work

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can spread, creating infections that are difficult to treat as the same old antibiotics do not work on them.

Factors that cause antibiotic resistance are:

Misuse of antibiotics: When people stop antibiotic treatment too soon or take the wrong dosage that leaves some bacteria untreated, the remaining bacteria can become antibiotic-resistant.
Overuse of antibiotics: Taking antibiotics when not needed can cause antibiotic resistance.
Transmitted resistance: When the antibiotic-resistant bacteria gets transmitted to another person, the infection caused cannot be treated with the same antibiotics.
Spontaneous mutation: Sometimes, the bacterium mutates spontaneously, which makes the bacteria resistant to the original antibiotics.

Types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Some common antibiotic-resistance bacteria are:

Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria causes pneumonia, a lung infection. It also causes meningitis, an infection of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It may also lead to ear and sinus infections.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA bacteria can cause skin infections when entering a wound.MRSA is one of the most common types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It can cause life-threatening surgical site infections.

Diagnosis of antibiotic-resistant infection

If you have an infection that does not get better with a standard dose of antibiotics, you may have an antibiotic-resistant infection.

Treatment of antibiotic-resistant infection

Where antibiotic-resistant infection has been diagnosed, your doctor may decide to conduct an antibiotic sensitivity test to find the best treatment for the infection. The test can be done in the form of a blood culture, urine culture, sputum culture, throat culture, or wound culture.

How to prevent antibiotic resistance?

Individuals, healthcare providers, and the healthcare industry as a whole can do their part in preventing antibiotic resistance.

Individuals

You can take the following measures to prevent the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Take antibiotics as directed. To prevent antibiotic resistance, taking the complete dosage of the medication is important even if you feel better. If the entire treatment is not taken and you fall sick again, the remaining bacteria can become antibiotic-resistant.
Do not use antibiotics to self-medicate. To avoid misusing antibiotics or taking the wrong medicine, consider using antibiotics only through a doctor’s prescription.
Do not take antibiotics prescribed for someone else. Every person reacts differently to medication. Consult a medical practitioner before taking antibiotics prescribed to someone else, even when the treatment requires similar drugs. Also, do not share your prescribed antibiotics with others.
Prevent bacterial infections. To stay healthy and prevent bacterial infections, make sure to:

- Avoid close contact with infected people

- Prepare food hygienically

- Wash hands frequently

- Practice safe sex

- Keep vaccinations up to date

Healthcare Providers

Healthcare providers can prevent and control antibiotic resistance by:

Preventing infections in clinics by maintaining sanitized instruments and clean environments
Prescribing antibiotics only when needed and communicating the dosage of the medications to prevent misuse
Reporting antibiotic-resistant infections to the surveillance teams
Promoting vaccinations and overall hygiene to prevent bacterial infections

Healthcare Industry

To prevent and control the rise in antibiotic-resistant infections, the healthcare industry must:

Invest in the research and development of new antibiotics and vaccines that limit the spread of bacterial infections.
Monitor current and new antibiotic-resistant bacteria and infections.

What are the complications of antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic-resistant infections can be challenging to cure, limiting treatment options for such diseases.

Some complications that can arise may include:

Increase in medical costs
Longer hospital stays
Severe medication side effects
Increase in the severity of the infection with a rise in the mortality rate

Antibiotic resistance is a serious global health threat. Individuals, healthcare providers, and advocates in the healthcare industry can all play a part in minimizing or even eventually eliminating this threat.