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What causes antibiotic resistance?
Written by Yella Hewings-Martin, Ph.D.
Fact
checked by Jasmin
Collier
Most of us will have taken antibiotics at some point in our
lives.
But what if nothing happens the next time you pop one of those
little bug-busting pills? Your life could be in serious danger.
The
WHO call antibiotic resistance ‘one of the biggest threats to global health.’
Bacteria
are an integral part of our ecosystem and we share our bodies with many of
these tiny creatures. However, they can be the root of serious health problems.
But
bacteria come in all manner of guises. Some can turn from friend to foe, while
others are just plain nasty and will make us sick at any chance they get.
Since
their discovery in the 1920s and their introduction into mainstream medicine
after World War Two, we’ve been relying on antibiotics to keep pathogenic
bacteria at bay.
Antibacterial
resistance is on the rise, however.
According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the
United States, at least 2,049,442 illnesses are caused by resistance to
medicines prescribed to treat bacterial or fungal infections.
What
is more, 23,000 people die each year when these drugs fail to work.
So,
why have our once reliable antibacterials stopped working, and how do the pesky
bugs manage to outfox us? It’s all about mutations.
Mutations,
a ‘natural phenomenon’
Bacteria
are prone to DNA mutations. This is part of their natural evolution and allows
them to constantly adapt their genetic makeup.
When
one bug naturally becomes resistant to a drug, it survives when all others are
killed.
Now
it’s a race against the clock.
How
quickly can this one bacterium adapt to the new mutation, and how quickly can
it replicate in the face of species eradication?
If
the bug comes on out top, it’s bad news for the infected individual and bad
news for society at large: the drug-resistant bacterium will likely spread.
Not
only has it evaded the grim reaper, but it can also now spread the love by
passing the resistance to its numerous offspring, who will soon be the dominant
species on the block.
Bacteria
are also able to pass genes to other bacteria. This is known as horizontal gene
transfer, or “bacterial sex.”
While
this process is actually quite rare, bacteria are highly mobile creatures,
which gives them plenty of opportunity to come into contact with other microbes
and pass on their mutated genes.
But
how do genetic mutations equip bacteria with the skills to outsmart
antibiotics?
Combating
antibiotics
A
study recently published in Nature Communications sheds new light on how
Echerichia coli and other members of the Enterobacteria family fight off
commonly used antibiotics.
A
gene called mar is commonly shared by family members.
Some
of the proteins encoded in this gene can switch on other genes, explain
researchers from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Microbiology and Infection
in the United Kingdom.
“We found two completely unexpected mechanisms,” says senior study author Prof. David Grainger, “that
bacteria use to protect themselves from antibiotics. One protected their DNA
from the harmful effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, and the other
prevented doxycyline getting inside bacteria.”
But
finding out how Enterobacteria combat antibiotics is only the first step in
this decade-long research project.
First study author Prateek Sharma, Ph.D., says that “the
resistance mechanisms that we identified are found in many different species of
bacteria therefore, our research could lead to the discovery of molecules that
could be developed into new drugs that can treat bacterial infections.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) call antibiotic
resistance “one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and
development today.”
The
need for new drugs is great.
‘Overuse
and underuse’ of antibiotics
This
week is World Antibiotic Awareness Week. The WHO aim to warn people that
inappropriate use of antimicrobials makes drug resistance worse. This includes
both overuse and underuse.
This year, they urge everyone to “[s]eek advice
from a qualified healthcare professional before taking antibiotics.”
To find out more, here is video from the WHO
explaining why they think that “everyone has a role to play to help reduce
antibiotic resistance.”
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