facts about Antimicrobial resistance

The global rise in antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat, diminishing the efficacy of common antibiotics against widespread bacterial infections and it contributes to millions of deaths worldwide each year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
An antimicrobial agent could be a drug, a chemical substance or a natural substance that has the ability to kill or stop the growth of micro-organisms which includes bacteria or fungi. Antimicrobial agents include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals etc.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a resistance to drugs that kills micro-organisms. To resist according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary means to withstand the action or effect of something. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, fungi and parasites changes over time and can no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread.
As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents becomes ineffective and infections becomes increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. A large number of people who are aware that antibiotics are used to treat infections and its easily gotten over the counter result to self- medication either misusing or abusing these antibiotics which can lead to antimicrobial resistance. In essence, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials agents in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
An interview with Dr. Chioma Emmanuel sheds more light on the issue where he explained that the common strategy for bacteria to develop antimicrobial resistance is to avoid the action of the antibiotic by interfering with their target site. To achieve this, bacteria have evolved different tactics including protection of target cells so that the drug does not get to them. One of the successful bacterial strategies to cope with the presence of antibiotics is to produce enzymes that inactivates the drug by adding specific chemical moieties to the compound or that destroy the molecule itself, rendering the antibiotic unable to interact with its target.
When already hard-to-get germs have the right combination of resistance mechanisms, it can make antibiotics or anti fungals ineffective resulting to untreatable infections. When these changes occur, you realize that when a person utilizes the same drugs to which the change has occurred, it won’t treat the infection because there is something different that the drug cannot recognize. That is the reason why taking a particular drug without the prescription of a doctor overtime becomes ineffective unlike before. Doctors try to discourage people from taking drugs on their own without lab confirmations because micro-organisms keep changing and by the time an individual constantly use drugs or over use drugs outside the doctor’s prescriptions, he/she predisposes the bacteria to be resistant to the antimicrobial agent.
He further explained that bacteria resistance has a vertical and horizontal means of dissemination. Vertical is where mother cells can transfer it to total cells in humans from person to person while horizontal is a situation where bacteria share this resistance amongst themselves through transport mechanism such as plasmid or bacteriophages. It is then transmitted to the human population when they contaminate the food we eat, infect animals and human beings. The long-term consequences of AMR is having a population that is struggling with infections because available drugs cannot treat them thereby leading to economic implications as a result of the production of new antibiotics to treat these infections which will be expensive and eventually make the cost of purchase high. The World Bank estimates that AMR could result in US$ 1 trillion additional healthcare costs by 2050, and US$ 1 trillion to US$ 3.4 trillion gross domestic product (GDP) losses per year by 2030.
The WHO clamored on the high rate of resistance to antibiotics frequently used for common bacterial infections including urinary tract infections, sepsis, sexually transmitted infections and others. AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk. It makes infections harder to treat and makes other medical procedures and treatments such as surgery, caesarean sections and cancer chemotherapy much riskier. In a long run, it will result to high rate of morbidity and mortality.
To prevent AMR, there should be collaborative effort between international communities, state communities, government, hospitals and individuals. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) urges that Individuals should adhere strictly to guidelines on how to take drugs, asking for laboratory tests where possible to guide the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents. Practice environmental and personal hygiene. Proper handwashing, hygienically prepared food and keeping vaccinations up to date. Prevent sexually transmitted infections. Always finish your medications, don’t stop because you feel better and never share or use your leftover antibiotics. Practice healthy habits around animals and be aware of changes in your health. Most importantly, share the awareness of AMR and remember it all begins with you.

References
World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance
Dr. Chioma Emmanuel. Registrar, O and G. University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/prevention/index.html
Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) https://ncdc.gov.ng/news/427/preventing-antimicrobial-resistance-together%3B-ncdc%2C-fmoh%2C-fmard%2C-fmenv-and-partners-flag-off-awareness-campaign-to-tackle-antimicrobial-resistance-in-nigeria
The World Bank Group, March 2017. Drug-Resistant Infections. A threat to our economic future. Pg 18. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/pt/323311493396993758/pdf/final-report.pdf
World Bank Group https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2016/09/18/by-2050-drug-resistant-infections-could-cause-global-economic-damage-on-par-with-2008-financial-crisis
Merriam-Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resist

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MISS NGOZI OBI

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