The silent war against an adverse enemy- Superbugs

Many of us don’t know that mankind has been with constant war with our biggest most lucrative enemy-yes,its not the aliens,its not a superpowered evil villain,but rather tiny microscopic creatures we don’t even see.When you enter a hospital,you might think you are actually entering into a “Green zone”,the smell of Dettol on floor,the white walls picturizing purity and cleanliness,and the presence of doctors and nurses themselves gives you a feeling that you are in a “No-fly zone”.That you are safe from those evil hidden creatures that give you a nasty fever - bacteria .

In fact,a hospital is a more dangerous place to be where you are more vulnerable to get infected by the superbugs- a breed of bacteria which have developed resistance to the most common antibiotics.

These bacteria are very alarming as they are quickly developing high resistance to antibiotics like Penicilin,Methicilin,Tetracyclin,Erythromycin- which are like our missiles against them.

“Superbugs could cast the world back to the Dark Ages if we are not careful,” the British Prime Minister David Cameroon was quoted saying.

“Unrestricted availability and incomplete dosage are to be blamed” says medical experts.

“Mr X have a sore throat,and he goes to the pharmacy across the street and buy a pile of penicillin. Mr X takes a pill,but not enough to kill the streptococci but adequate to teach them how to resist it. Then Mr X infects his wife,and she also takes penicillin from the local store,but since now the bacteria knows how to beat the drug,they are unharmed and they continue multiplying inside and can lead you to death. Who is responsible then?”

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a very well known example of how superbugs have developed. Its found in hospitals and can pose a serious threat to patients with weak immune system or under immuno-suprresant drugs.The bacteria is resistant to almost all types of broad spectrum antibiotics available in stores. It caused over 37% deaths in hospitals in the early 90’s in UK hospitals. Scientists worked day and night to develop a new antibiotic,and Oxalodinones was developed. But in 2001,MRSA developed resistance too. It’s now one of the most rapidly evolving bacteria we are fighting with,says experts.

How does resistance develops,you might ask. Suppose there are 100 bacteria in your body. The doctor prescribes you some antibiotics like Tetracyclin for over a period of 3 weeks. But after 2 weeks,you start feeling good as symptoms disappear. You neglect doctor’s advice and avoid taking the drug. In the meantime,inside your body,most of the bacteria have been eliminated and only a handful are left. As the dosage was incomplete,those few bacteria remain unchecked and they start multiplying again quietly,until symptoms appear again. But the next time you take the same drug,those few bacteria which have grown into a colony no longer gets affected as they have developed resistance to it. This is because in the first infection,suppose one survived because it had a gene in its DNA that gave it a coat that prevented Tetracyclin attacking it and so it doesn’t get killed by the Tetracyclin antibiotic. That bacteria was previously kept in check due to competition amongst themselves for food and shelter, but as now there is no competition,the particular resistant bacteria multiplies freely,passing on the res and infection spreads from person to person,until the whole population is infected with the resistant strain. Tetracyclin is useless now against it. The bacteria in the same way develops resistance to other antibiotics until it is immune to almost all of our arsenal of drugs. It has become a “Superbug” now.

Scientists now have to develop a new class of antibiotic which is extremely difficult and time consuming. By the time a new antibiotic is developed,millions of people have died. And its not soon the bacteria develops resistance to the new antibiotic too,should people carelessly continue to use drugs.

Humans and bacteria are in a so called “evolutionary race”,at one side,we are panic-stricken to produce a new drug to fight off the invading germs and on the other side we have these pathogens who are developing resistance to whatever we throw at them. Its like an arms race,a battle which has been raging on for millions of years according to scientists.The treatment of bacterial infections with antibiotics is a crucial weapon in the armory of modern medicine,but

Recent studies have showed that combinedly given a antibiotics are an accelerating factor for development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria to even a wider range.Antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing phenomenon in contemporary medicine and has emerged as one of the pre-eminent public health concerns of the 21st century. More and more bacteria are developing resistance to 1st line antibiotics,creating the necessity to use 2nd line antibiotics,which are costlier,with more side effects and less available.

This is a serious issue in our country. Physicians prescribe antibiotics for viral diseases like common cold,even though antibiotics are totally useless against a viral infection. The reasons are social rather than scientific- patients insists on doctors to give them antibiotics as they feel taking pills will cure them,even though the body can fight off the infection on its own. Also,doctors are over cautious on their patients,and prescribe such antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. There is a custom in Bangladeshi society,if the doctor doesn’t give you a pile of tests and some medicine,it means the doctor isn’t a good doctor and diagnosis wasn’t done properly. Many doctors,are compelled to prescribe patients medicine which they don’t even require just to satisfy the patient that he’s getting “real” treatment. Antibiotic resistance poses an economic burden as it lengthens the duration of the treatment,working hours are lost,more money of the patient is wasted in treatment and less disposable income remains. A healthier economy is key to achieve high GDP growth rates,experts say.