There's been a lot of talk lately around the issue of antibiotic resistance, but very few accounts of what this is or how its formed.
Antibiotics work by acting against bacteria which have infected our natural system. The development and use of antibiotics has allowed for huge developments in healthcare over the past few decades, causing us to extend our lifetimes far beyond what would be our natural limits.
However, many believe that we may have taken antibiotics for granted, and through the combination of overuse, and not completing the full course subscribed, we have allowed the development of microorganisms who are no longer killed by widely used antibiotics.
In Europe alone, 25,000 people die every year from infections of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.This is bad news for modern healthcare, and an issue that should be fully understood by the public at large.
A bacteria can acquire genes for antibiotic resistance in several ways. Firstly, a micro-organism may have taken on a spontaneous, or induced genetic mutation, which leads to a change in a bacterium to such an extent that antibiotics can either no longer attach, or whose products are deemed ineffective.
A more important method of resistance comes about through the acquisition of resistance genes from other bacteria who are resistant. These genes can be found on plasmids in most transferring bacteria. Plasmids can contain several genes, including those for resistance, which can be transferred to other bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. In a human population this would essentially be the same as borrowing something from a neighbour. The only difference with bacteria is that they're borrowing genetic information, genetic information which is keeping that bacteria alive!
It is this method which allows for the rapid sharing of resistant genes in a local population of bacteria. If this process were to carry on for multiple generations of bacteria, the end result would be a population of bacteria which are completely unaffected by antibiotics. This could set our healthcare system back a hundred years or more. Operations and infections that we now consider common, could quickly become deadly. This problem is only made worse by the slow rate at which new antibiotics are being produced, an area which is crying out for further development.
What do you think? Should we be worried? What should we be doing about it? Comment below or email newsinscience@gmail.com with any questions.
A bacteria can acquire genes for antibiotic resistance in several ways. Firstly, a micro-organism may have taken on a spontaneous, or induced genetic mutation, which leads to a change in a bacterium to such an extent that antibiotics can either no longer attach, or whose products are deemed ineffective.
A more important method of resistance comes about through the acquisition of resistance genes from other bacteria who are resistant. These genes can be found on plasmids in most transferring bacteria. Plasmids can contain several genes, including those for resistance, which can be transferred to other bacteria through horizontal gene transfer. In a human population this would essentially be the same as borrowing something from a neighbour. The only difference with bacteria is that they're borrowing genetic information, genetic information which is keeping that bacteria alive!
It is this method which allows for the rapid sharing of resistant genes in a local population of bacteria. If this process were to carry on for multiple generations of bacteria, the end result would be a population of bacteria which are completely unaffected by antibiotics. This could set our healthcare system back a hundred years or more. Operations and infections that we now consider common, could quickly become deadly. This problem is only made worse by the slow rate at which new antibiotics are being produced, an area which is crying out for further development.
What do you think? Should we be worried? What should we be doing about it? Comment below or email newsinscience@gmail.com with any questions.
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