The Superbug is a term that describes an organism that has become resistant to the use of antibiotics and thus presents many problems for people who are trying to overcome illness caused by these superbugs. Superbugs have been able to develop characteristics within their genome that allows for resistance against factors released from antibiotics thus allowing them to remain in their host and create serious disease and problems for how the body functions. How do these organisms end up developing resistance? Many fingers point to the overuse of antibiotics. With antibiotics not being properly prescribed by prescribers and not being taken correctly by patients, this allows certain bacteria to gain more exposure to the antibiotics and thus evolve to allow for resistance. This in all makes it more difficult to treat certain bacterial infections because of new antibiotics that need to be made to eradicate the bacteria from the body. We will now look at E. coli and how this bacteria has been an example of developing resistance.
From an article titled, “Drug-Resistant E. coli Bacteremia Transmitted by Fecal Microbiota Transplant“, authors found that through Fecal Microbiota Transplants (FMT), there was the transmission of drug-resistant E. Coli strains allowing for deaths that had occurred within patients who had undergone the therapy. This would present concerns for many people because FMT has been seen as a procedure that can aid with eliminating C. difficile and thus presenting further illnesses caused by this bacteria. As seen with the resistant strain of E. coli, it shows that within the stool of the donor there is the possibility of transmitting resistant strains of bacteria that can lead to further illness, especially in those undergoing FMT. It also shows that coming into contact with stool in other settings as well can possibly lead to transmission of bacteria and shows how important it is to take precautionary measures when coming into contact with stool from any source. This is why it is so important to be continuously washing your hands and trying to not make direct contact with people. With regards to stool, I think of our sewage systems and the possibility of this coming into contact with our water supplies. The tragedy that would emerge from contamination of fecal matter with our water would be devastating and allow for further complications since strains of resistant bacteria can now have an easier manner of entering our bodies.
The idea of alerting the public with regards to antibiotic resistance and promoting change in how we go about using antibiotics has been an interest for some time now. From an article titled, “Characteristics of a Nationwide Voluntary Antibiotic Resistance Awareness Campaign in India; Future Paths and Pointers for Resource Limited Settings/Low and Middle Income Countries“, authors describe how setting up a campaign in India can be revolutionary for many places in the world, especially areas in which the access to medical resources is limited and can be thus challenging to prevent spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In their conclusion, they state that lectures seem to engage with audiences on a more personal level and can have a more lasting impact than visuals. But, they also focus on the importance of radio stations. This honestly blew my mind because for me it is rare to listen to radio stations on a regular basis, but this could be much different in other parts of the world. Especially for smaller communities, radio stations may hold some influence and being able to speak to community members about issues relating to antibiotic resistance can be quite impactful. So, as superbug continues to embark on a journey of perseverance and resistance, this will only lead to problems for the human populations. I have simple advice for you so that we can defeat superbug. For my prescribers: know what you are prescribing and thus what infection you are treating. For my fellow patients: take the correct dose (no more, no less). The battle is only beginning and unless we don’t start now, it will only lead to the end of antibiotic drugs.
Brandon Cashwell's Blog Site 