The Growing Risk of Antibiotic-Resistant Super Bacteria

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The weapon that mankind created to battle pathogenic bacteria is contributing to the bacteria’s gain in resistance, mainly, by the simple mistake of misusing the medication and regimen that is prescribed. MicroBiology Online states that “The emergence and spread of antibacterial-resistant bacteria has continued to grow due to both the over-use and misuse of antibiotics” (“Antibiotics”). By misusing medication, people are unknowingly benefitting the environment to support more antibiotic resistant bacteria. Medical News Today is concerned not only with antibiotic misuse, but by the doctors’ tendency to overuse them when they may not even be necessary, stating that “Antibiotic overuse is one of the factors that contributes towards the growing number of bacterial infections which are becoming resistant to antibacterial medications” (Nordqvist). Taking prescribed medication, when unnecessary, also creates more chances of a patient incorrectly taking it, contributing to bacteria resiliency two-fold. In addition to drug misuse, research shows that pathogenic bacteria can even gain resistance to antibiotics through chromosomal mutation, although it is much less likely to occur (“Antibiotics”). On November 19, 2012, the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) cited that almost twenty-five thousand citizens of the European Union die each year from these “super bugs,” a number that demands action towards finding a solution to the growing world-wide epidemic (Nordqvist).

Just as mankind found a solution to fighting disease with antibiotics, it must now focus on developing alternative methods since the “miracle cures” are losing their famed effectiveness. Multiple sources agree that the first step to ending bacterial resistance is to reduce the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Doctors would have to take extra measures when diagnosing an infection from a viral sickness, being able to accurately distinguish a patient’s case and prescribe the correct medication, if any (“Superbug”). Also, environmental cleanliness and awareness, among the doctors, nurses and janitorial staff members, must improve to cut down the statistic of hospital-contracted infections (“Superbug”). Ignorance and recklessness contribute to the unwanted infections of other patients and do, in fact, create a breeding environment for potential antibiotic-resistant bacteria. According to NanoWerk, up and coming nanotechnological solutions are going to be the most efficient method of tackling the increasing number of multi-drug resistant pathogens, stating:

Nanotechnology based approaches are advantageous to improve various preventive measures such as coatings and filtration…Although several conventional techniques with high sensitivity and reproducibility are available to detect MDR infections, they are cumbersome and time consuming. Nanoscience can offer various accurate, economical and less time-consuming methods, which will help to avert microbial spread and its consequences (Bhatt).

Basically, using nanotechnology, in collaboration with drug companies, can make diagnosing an infection faster and more efficient, and create a much more destructive force against the infection without the health risk of taking the strongest or even new, stronger antibiotics (Bhatt). Researchers from Jackson State University developed new popcorn shaped nanoparticles for enhanced detection and photo-thermal destruction of MDR Salmonella Bacteria, one of many new “up and coming” solutions to destroy infectious pathogens, and rid bodies of them much quicker (Bhatt).

Understanding the nature of bacteria, antibiotics, “super bugs,” their drug resistance, and resistance solutions of the bacteria is crucial to effectively planning a solution against the world’s latest growing threat. Addressing the human error world-wide, misusing and overusing the medications, will bring awareness to the self-inflicted wounds that continue to countlessly pile up while more and more infectious pathogens are becoming resistant to the very thing that the world thought it was using to rid itself of them. The threat is deferrable. Just as mankind discovered ways to adapt to disease with medications, it can still prevail and adapt once again to the future, evolved microorganisms. Without action toward finding a permanent solution, the world may once again be “looking into the eyes” of another super “curse,” countering any effort to take it down.

Works Cited

"Antibiotics." Microbiology Online. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.

Bhatt, Deepika. "Nanotechnology Solutions to Combat Superbugs." Nanotechnology Solutions to

Combat Superbugs. NanoWerk, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. .

"Gram-negative Bacteria vs. Gram-positive Bacteria." Gram-negative Bacteria vs Gram-positive

Bacteria. Diffen. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. .

Nordqvist, Christian. "What Are Antibiotics? How Do Antibiotics Work?" Medical News Today.

Medical News Today, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. .

Senior, Kathryn. "How and When Were Bacteria Discovered?" How and When Were Bacteria

Discovered? Types of Bacteria, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2014. .

Senior, Kathryn. "What Are Bacteria?" What Are Bacteria? Types of Bacteria, 4 July 2014.

Web. 9 Oct. 2014. .

"Superbugs: What Are They and How Are They Formed?" C-Health. C-Health, 8 Oct. 2014.

Web. 9 Oct. 2014. .