Resistant Bacteria?

The emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotic treatment is proving to be a growing battle. The CDC reported around 2.8 million people suffering from infection by these resistant bacteria and around 35,000 deaths a year. These numbers are alarming and are going to continue to worsen if we don’t prescribe and use antibiotics correctly. One of the infections that is concerning to healthcare officials is extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae. This infection produces the highest mortality from antibiotic resistant bacteria in the US. This issue is projected to worsen due to the ability of the bacteria to share its resistance on an R plasmid to another bacteria.

The organisms that have encoded for resistance to multiple antibacterial medications are referred to as superbugs. Overuse of antibiotic treatments has led to the development of these resistant bacteria. A way to prevent this is only using antibiotic therapy for an infection that it can clear, and not viral infections. Prevention of these superbugs can be as simple as washing hands with normal soap in order to prevent spread and infection within the body. Superbugs are a threat to the country’s health and the future of the effectiveness of antibiotics.

If our society gets to the point where we can no longer use antibiotics, the illnesses that could once be treated, will cause longer infections requiring hospitalization. The symptoms of these diseases can also cause long term issues from the initial infection. The antibiotics that once would have easily cleared someone from a life threatening infection are increasingly losing their ability to combat the bacteria. They bacteria are outsmarting our clinical abilities and once they have learned to share their resistance to all other organisms, we are in big trouble. We must take steps to correctly use antibiotics or else we will lose their effectiveness altogether.