Antibiotics 1 are medications that produce materials to kill bacteria and fungi that cause infectious diseases. However, since the mid-1950s, the discovery and development of antibiotics have peaked and declined, contributing to a growing concern with possible health and economic implications: antibiotic resistance.
Resistance
Bacteria evolve. Antibiotic resistance occurs when a bacterial infection persists despite medical intervention. Many factors contribute to the global threat that is the antibiotic resistance crisis 2. These factors include antibiotic overuse, misuse, lack of new antibiotics, and drug-resistant bacteria.
Antibiotic Overuse
Studies show that healthcare providers may overuse antibiotics 3 across settings, such as during primary care visits and hospitalizations. According to data collected by the CDC, 4, 30% of the antibiotics prescribed in the United States are unnecessary, inappropriate, or do not yield therapeutic benefits for the patient. Other research studies suggest that that figure can range from 30-60%. Recall that bacteria changes. Thus, overuse changes the bacteria’s response to medication.
Antibiotic Misuse
In some parts of the world, the use of antibiotics is unregulated. Also, people can purchase antibiotic medications over-the-counter, like pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory medications. Unregulated or easily acquired antibiotics contribute to their misuse (e.g., taking them for the wrong condition). Similar to overuse, misuse causes the bacteria to become less responsive to medication.
Lack of New Antibiotics
Most of the antibiotics currently used are derivatives of known natural products (NP) with bacterial or fungi compounds or are synthetic antibiotics. Studies report that large pharmaceutical companies have since left the field of antibiotic discovery and development, thus leaving the task to clinical labs. The lack of proper funding delays the development of new antibiotics.
Drug-Resistant Bacteria
Superbugs are untreatable infections because of their persistent, drug-resistant nature. The long-term overuse and misuse of antibiotics, coupled with bacterial evolution, undoubtedly contributed to the emergence of these superbugs. Superbugs contain resistant bacteria-causing pathogens that enable the infection to remain, reproduce, and thrive. Finally, drug-resistant bacteria attributes to some hospital-acquired infections (HAI), such as pneumonia and sepsis.
Antibiotic medications contributed to modern medicine. However, their overuse, misuse, and delayed development of new antibiotics have contributed to the current crisis. Without any intervention, we risk entering an era of medicine with grave health and economic implications.