Antibiotics are one of the most effective ways to significantly control disease. “It simply came to our notice then that these drugs were vulnerable to abuse. Excessive use and disorder antibiotics they are “dangerous”. The availability of over-the-counter antibiotics has attracted people even for a simple cold, or introduced into the livestock, and the lack of adherence to routine procedures and hygiene at the hospitals has been a constant concern. stimulates the rapid growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. . No, it’s not you or the animal that is resistant to antibiotics, it’s the bacteria that develop immunity to certain drugs that aren’t used to kill it, ”said Dr Mahesh Lakhe, consultant – Side Medicine internal and Infectious Disease, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune.
Polypharmacy or combination therapy may not always work
Combining more than one drug to treat a single disease, called polypharmacy or a combination medicine, common in the treatment of HIV / AIDS, cancer, malaria and tuberculosis. One very effective way to fight an infection is particularly brutal because two drugs at the same time attack it in other ways and can irritate two different parts of a device. protein building of the bacteria. Collaborative drugs are called “synergistic” and the two-drug attack not only kills pathogens more effectively but also delays the onset of stress. Tests have shown vanillin, the fertilizer that gives vanilla a special flavor, when supplemented with spectinomycin, which was initially treated with gonorrhea but was abandoned due to the strain of the bacteria, helped the antibiotic to enter bacterial cells and inhibited their growth. Twin antibiotics are prescribed to fight strong infectious diseases such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Wearing antibiotics when they are not needed accelerates the antibiotic resistance process. (Photo: Getty Images / Thinkstock)
However, vanillin has reduced the effects of many other antibiotics, such as aspirin. Similar results will be seen if doxycycline (treating bacterial pneumonia, acne, etc.) and erythromycin (used for the treatment of respiratory, skin, chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease, and syphilis) – are common. given separately for diseases such as Escherichia coli – administered in different amounts, alone or in combination. In the first day, bacterial growth can drop up to 95 percent, the next day, it has exponential growth by 500 percent. The bacteria were found to have broadly doubled genes that provided four different ways to resist the drugs, using their “efflux pumps” which push out antibiotics and other harmful chemicals. from the bacteria. Ironically, it was the combination of antibiotics that helped activate these pumps and helped the growth of E. coli by killing good bacteria in the process, agents that may have helped monitoring for pathogens.
Use antibiotics wisely to prevent resistant mutations
Does this mean we stop taking antibiotics together? Of course not. However, it is essential that some healthcare providers and patients / users are informed before deciding to use antibiotics. Here are some important steps the World Health Organization (WHO) is proposing to reduce the growth of drug-resistant bacteria:
For health professionals:
∙ Prevent disease by making sure hands, instruments, and the environment are clean.
∙ Do not administer and prescribe antibiotics when required, in line with current guidelines.
∙ Talk to your patients about how to take antibiotics properly, the fight against antibiotics and the dangers of misuse.
∙ Talk to your patients about disease prevention (for example, vaccinations, hand washing, safer sex, and covering your nose and mouth when sneezing).
∙ Report antibiotic-resistant infections to surveillance teams.
For patients and individuals:
∙ Only use antibiotics when prescribed by a qualified health professional. Always follow your doctor’s advice about using antibiotics. Let the doctor decide if you need antibiotics.
∙ Do not give or use what is left over antibiotics.
∙ Prevent infections by washing hands regularly, avoiding close contact with sick people, using safer sex, and maintaining the latest vaccines.
∙ Prepare food healthily, following WHO Five Keys to Safer Food (keep clean, separate raw and cooked, cook thoroughly, keep food at a safe temperature, use safe water and raw materials).
∙ Choose foods (vegetables or animal protein / dairy) that have been produced without the use of antibiotics to stimulate growth or prevent disease in healthy animals.
∙ If you keep livestock, vaccinate animals to reduce the need for antibiotics and alternatives to antibiotics when available.
• Improve farm biosecurity and disease prevention through better hygiene and animal welfare.