Chinese researchers have made a frightening discovery. They found a gene in E.coli that makes bacteria resistant to colistin, a last resort in the treatment of severe infections. Even worse, the gene was contained in a plasmid and not in the bacterial genome, which makes it easier to spread.
Bacterial drug resistance spawns end-of-world scenarios where antibiotic-resistant superbugs are ravaging the world like a medieval plague.
In the past years, the crisis was avoided. Is it time to panic? For epidemiologists and physicians who study antibiotic resistance, the answer is clear: yes.
“This is the worst news I've heard,” says Lance Price, a professor at the Milken Institute of Health.
The discovery of a new gene in the bacterium doesn't mean doctors will be helpless, but the health problems are clear. With this resistance to bacterial drugs, strong antibiotics are used with side effects and are not suitable for every patient.
Apocalypse is coming soon
Predicting the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is no easy task, but worst-case scenarios provide useful insights.
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A 2014 report commissioned by British Minister David Cameron says that if bacteria develop 100% antibiotic resistance in 15 years, infectious diseases will become more dangerous than cancer. They will take 10 million more lives every year. By 2050, battling bacteria will cost the global economy $ 100 trillion.
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics will reach 100%, and this is not a fantasy. The number of antibiotics approved for treatment fell from 113 in 2000 to 96 in 2014. Old antibiotics are losing their effectiveness twice as fast as scientists are inventing new ones.
One of the famous killers is Staphylococcus aureus, which is transmitted in hospitals. His company will soon be joined by E. coli ST131, which has developed resistance to all antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections.
“Unfortunately, the fear and concern about antibiotic resistance is well founded,” said Gautam Dantas, professor of immunology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “Given the facts, I think the chance of this problem happening is 9 in 10, especially if we continue to adhere to the status quo.”
Antibiotics: Unprofitable Business
Medicines are patented for 20 years, and clinical research takes over 10 years.
New antibiotics are produced in limited quantities to avoid the emergence of rapid resistance to them. Therefore, antibiotic research is not a profitable industry for pharmaceutical companies.
The national authorities are doing nothing to correct the gap in the antibiotic market. Efforts to eliminate drug resistance boil down to limiting overuse.
US President Obama in March of this year issued a government executive order on the issue of antibiotic resistance. It includes reducing the overuse of antibiotics. But funding for new research is not foreseen.
A 2014 UK report says delaying 100% antibiotic resistance by 10 years will save the global economy $ 65 trillion by 2050.
“Private pharmaceutical companies are initiating antibiotic conservation programs on their own initiative. Many companies, including Walmart, McDonalds, Chick-fil-A and Chipotle, are moving in this direction,”Kevin Uterson, a health law expert at Boston University, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.
But to delay the emergence of the superbug requires an international, coordinated effort. Unlike pandemics of the flu or the Ebola virus, deadly strains are asymptomatic, making it impossible to quarantine or isolate vectors.
"You can feel great and infect other people with the superbug," Price says. "It gets on airplanes and then infects the most vulnerable segment of the population: cancer patients, the elderly and children."
Chinese factor
China has the potential to become the epicenter of the spread of the superbug due to the overuse of antibiotics in pig production.
To avoid this, you need restrictions and strict standards. For example, Sweden and Denmark have the lowest prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus - 1.6%. In France, for comparison - 16.9%.
The Chinese population shares the fears of experts. 83% of Chinese want to restrict farmers from overusing antibiotics. According to the WHO, China ranks first in terms of antibiotic use out of 12 countries studied.
Will China take the necessary measures?
“Many people in the G20 and beyond are hoping that China will act to tackle this problem,” says Outerson.
But the Chinese health care system has long been in a bad name. The concealment of the SARS epidemic, government schemes for the sale of donor blood, which led to the mass infection of AIDS, the forcible removal of organs from prisoners of conscience in military hospitals for subsequent sale - this is her track record.
With this in mind, the forecast for the whole world is not optimistic.
Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands with soap, but do not use antibacterial soap. Do not drink antibiotics to treat viral infections: flu, colds, runny nose and sore throat. Take antibiotics only if prescribed by your doctor. If you are prescribed antibiotics, drink the course to the end, even if you feel better Do not share your antibiotics with other people or take leftover drugs.