scholarly journals Addressing the diverging public and physician perceptions on the topic of antibiotic resistance

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Author(s):  
Hong Yu (Andrew) Su ◽  
Matt Douglas-Vail

Antibiotics are a powerful tool in fighting bacterial infections but with overuse and misuse, resistance is emerging at an alarming rate. To better understand the root causes of resistance, studying the perceptions of both physicians and the general populace may prove beneficial from a health promotion standpoint. Research reveals that diverging views of these 2 groups remain significant, which proves concerning especially in the face of increasingly resistant bacteria and associated mortality. The issue at large, therefore, requires a better understandifrom both parties with regard to antibiotic guidelines, prescription habits and public awareness campaigns.

Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Mikaela Michaelidou ◽  
Spyridon A. Karageorgos ◽  
Constantinos Tsioutis

We aimed to assess the knowledge and understanding of antibiotic use and resistance in the general population of Cyprus, in order to inform future antibiotic awareness campaigns with local evidence. Cross-sectional survey following the methodology of the “Antibiotic resistance: Multi-country public awareness survey” of the World Health Organization, during December 2019–January 2020. A total of 614 respondents participated: 64.3% were female and most were aged 35–44 years (33.2%) or 25–34 years (31.8%). One-third had used antibiotics >1 year ago and 91.6% reported receiving advice on appropriate use from a medical professional. Despite high awareness on correct use of antibiotics, lack of knowledge was noted for specific indications, where approximately one-third believed that viral infections respond to antibiotics and 70.7% lack understanding of how antibiotic resistance develops. Higher education graduates exhibited significantly higher knowledge rates. As high as 72.3% were informed about “antibiotic resistant bacteria” from healthcare professionals or social media. Most agreed on the usefulness of most suggested actions to address antibiotic resistance, with higher proportions acknowledging the role of prescribers. Up to 47% could not identify their role in decreasing antibiotic resistance. Our study provides local evidence to inform future efforts in a country characterized by high antibiotic consumption rates.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Monserrat-Martinez ◽  
Yann Gambin ◽  
Emma Sierecki

Since their discovery in the early 20th century, antibiotics have been used as the primary weapon against bacterial infections. Due to their prophylactic effect, they are also used as part of the cocktail of drugs given to treat complex diseases such as cancer or during surgery, in order to prevent infection. This has resulted in a decrease of mortality from infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy in the last 100 years. However, as a consequence of administering antibiotics broadly to the population and sometimes misusing them, antibiotic-resistant bacteria have appeared. The emergence of resistant strains is a global health threat to humanity. Highly-resistant bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant) or Enterococcus faecium (vancomycin-resistant) have led to complications in intensive care units, increasing medical costs and putting patient lives at risk. The appearance of these resistant strains together with the difficulty in finding new antimicrobials has alarmed the scientific community. Most of the strategies currently employed to develop new antibiotics point towards novel approaches for drug design based on prodrugs or rational design of new molecules. However, targeting crucial bacterial processes by these means will keep creating evolutionary pressure towards drug resistance. In this review, we discuss antibiotic resistance and new options for antibiotic discovery, focusing in particular on new alternatives aiming to disarm the bacteria or empower the host to avoid disease onset.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 688
Author(s):  
Shashi B. Kumar ◽  
Shanvanth R. Arnipalli ◽  
Ouliana Ziouzenkova

Antibiotics have been used as essential therapeutics for nearly 100 years and, increasingly, as a preventive agent in the agricultural and animal industry. Continuous use and misuse of antibiotics have provoked the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria that progressively increased mortality from multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, thereby posing a tremendous threat to public health. The goal of our review is to advance the understanding of mechanisms of dissemination and the development of antibiotic resistance genes in the context of nutrition and related clinical, agricultural, veterinary, and environmental settings. We conclude with an overview of alternative strategies, including probiotics, essential oils, vaccines, and antibodies, as primary or adjunct preventive antimicrobial measures or therapies against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. The solution for antibiotic resistance will require comprehensive and incessant efforts of policymakers in agriculture along with the development of alternative therapeutics by experts in diverse fields of microbiology, biochemistry, clinical research, genetic, and computational engineering.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-214
Author(s):  
Mousumi Saha ◽  
Agniswar Sarkar

With the advancements of science, antibiotics have emerged as an amazing gift to the human and animal healthcare sectors for the treatment of bacterial infections and other diseases. However, the evolution of new bacterial strains, along with excessive use and reckless consumption of antibiotics have led to the unfolding of antibiotic resistances to an excessive level. Multidrug resistance is a potential threat worldwide, and is escalating at an extremely high rate. Information related to drug resistance, and its regulation and control are still very little. To interpret the onset of antibiotic resistances, investigation on molecular analysis of resistance genes, their distribution and mechanisms are urgently required. Fine-tuned research and resistance profile regarding ESKAPE pathogen is also necessary along with other multidrug resistant bacteria. In the present scenario, the interaction of bacterial infections with SARS-CoV-2 is also crucial. Tracking and in-silico analysis of various resistance mechanisms or gene/s are crucial for overcoming the problem, and thus, the maintenance of relevant databases and wise use of antibiotics should be promoted. Creating awareness of this critical situation among individuals at every level is important to strengthen the fight against this fast-growing calamity. The review aimed to provide detailed information on antibiotic resistance, its regulatory molecular mechanisms responsible for the resistance, and other relevant information. In this article, we tried to focus on the correlation between antimicrobial resistance and the COVID-19 pandemic. This study will help in developing new interventions, potential approaches, and strategies to handle the complexity of antibiotic resistance and prevent the incidences of life-threatening infections.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brody Barton ◽  
Addison Grinnell ◽  
Randy M. Morgenstein

AbstractAntibiotic resistant bacteria are a global threat to human health. One way to combat the rise of antibiotic resistance is to make new antibiotics that target previously ignored proteins. The bacterial actin homolog, MreB, is highly conserved among rod-shaped bacteria and essential for growth, making MreB a good focus for antibiotic targeting. Therefore, it is imperative to understand mechanisms that can give rise to resistance to MreB targeting drugs. Using the MreB targeting drug, A22, we show that changes to central metabolism through deletion of TCA cycle genes, leads to the upregulation of gluconeogenesis resulting in cells with an increased minimal inhibitory concentration to A22. This phenotype can be recapitulated through the addition of glucose to the media. Finally, we show that this increase in minimal inhibitory concentration is not specific to A22 but can be seen in other cell wall targeting antibiotics, such as mecillinam.ImportanceThe spread of antibiotic resistance has made bacterial infections harder to treat. Finding new targets for antibiotic development is critical to overcoming the variety of resistance mechanism that are already crippling our ability to treat infections with current antibiotics. The bacterial actin homolog MreB is a good target for new antibiotic development because it is essential for growth and highly conserved among rod-shaped pathogens. The significance of this research is in understanding the mechanisms cells can develop toward the inhibition of MreB to better understand how to make MreB targeting antibiotics in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-207
Author(s):  
I. I. Fohel ◽  
◽  
M. V. Kryvtsova ◽  
Y. Y. Bugir

Over the last decade, the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance of microorganisms has become a global problem for modern medicine around the world. Bacteria quickly acquire genes of resistance to the action of the antibiotics. Bacterial infections that used to be easy to treat, now, in some cases, can even be life-threatening. Resistant microorganisms pose a danger not only among the adult population but also among the pediatric population. According to the World Health Organization, up to 200,000 newborns die each year from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Premature babies are at particular risk because their immune systems are still underdeveloped. The use of antibiotics in children should be reasonably approached, as recent studies have shown an increase of the spread of bacteria with resistance genes. Infections caused by resistant microorganisms are more difficult to treat and require special methods and approaches, especially for children, where the choice of antibiotics is already limited. The purpose of the study is to analyze the literature for the current state of the problem of antibiotic resistance, prospects for future development, relevance in pediatric practice. Materials and methods. The research materials are publications of national and foreign authors. Analytical methods were used as main research methods. This article considers the problem of antibiotic resistance, general mechanisms of its formation, research data on the prevalence of circulation of resistant strains in the pediatric population and their role in the initiation of resistant bacterial infections. Conclusion. It is concluded that bacteria insensitive to antibiotics are quite common among the pediatric population and in some cases are life-threatening. This phenomenon requires constant monitoring in order to detect and correctly treat persistent bacterial infections. There are many strains resistant to first- and second-generation antibiotics circulating in children. In some cases, the treatment of certain conditions in pediatrics may lead to the use of reserve antibiotics. Systemic coordinated work around the world and an individual approach in determining the sensitivity of microorganisms to antibiotics in each case can prevent the rapid acquisition of resistance genes by bacteria. It is also necessary to spread information about the threat of antibiotic resistance in order to raise public awareness and counteract the empirical use of antibiotics at home without a prescription. There is also an urgent need to invent new chemical compounds with bactericidal properties as soon as possible


Author(s):  
Nadezhda A. Selyanskaya

The spread of V. cholerae strains with multiple antibiotic resistance limits the choice of effective means of etiotropic therapy for cholera, emphasizing the importance of finding ways to maintain efficacy in the face of the widespread prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The review presents data of domestic and foreign literature on the antibiotic resistance of Vibrio cholerae and the prospects for the treatment of cholera in the modern period.


Author(s):  
G.M. Rossolini

Antibiotics are one of the most significant advancements of modern medicine. They have changed the prognosis of several bacterial infections, and made possible advanced medical practices associated with a high risk of infectious complications. Unfortunately, antibiotics are affected by the phenomenon of antibiotic resistance, which jeopardizes their efficacy. In recent years, antibiotic discovery and development has been lagging, due to a lower appeal of this sector for the pharmaceutical industry, while antibiotic resistance has continued to evolve with the eventual emergence and dissemination of bacterial strains which are resistant to most available antibiotics and pose a major challenge to antimicrobial chemotherapy. This worrisome scenario, indicated as the “antibiotic resistance crisis”, has been acknowledged by Scientific Societies and Public Health Agencies, and is now gathering an increasing attention from the Media and Governments. This article reviews the antibiotic-resistant pathogens which currently pose major problems in terms of clinical and epidemiological impact, and briefly discuss future perspective in this field.


INDIAN DRUGS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (07) ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
N. Save ◽  
◽  
S. Deshpande

Anti-microbial resistance is evolving at a pace faster than discovery of new molecules that kill the resistant bacteria. This has limited the number of drugs used to treat various bacterial infections. Untreated infections result in illness and death. Killing the resistant bacteria is getting impossible day by day. Antibiotics are the basic tools that we use to kill the harmful bacteria. If all the bacteria are found to become resistant to antibiotics, a small wound could lead into a life-threatening disease. To avoid entering into an era where no antibiotic is effective, we need to search for alternative approaches through which we can kill bacteria. This involves digging up the old traditional knowledge or inventing new techniques. Many scientists have realized this fact and have discovered novel techniques which can be used to kill the bacteria. The present review summarizes the current advancement in the field of new tools developed to combat the antibiotic resistance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chirag Choudhary ◽  

The idea of using a virus to kill bacteria may seem counterintuitive, but it may be the future of treating bacterial infections. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most frightening biological agents were so-called “superbugs” – antibiotic resistant bacteria – which could not be treated with conventional therapeutics. When antibiotics were first developed, they were hailed as a panacea. A panacea they were not.


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