ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE- a threat to lives
When we fall sick, we take antibiotics for our recovery. But what happens when our antibiotics stop working. Have you ever realized?
Hello Chemistry Ninjas,
Antibiotic resistance is the expected risk happening in today’s life. It happens when the bacteria and fungus in our body stop giving priority to antibiotics and this causes higher medical costs and hospital stays. This happens when bacteria changes and opposes the effects of antibiotics.
Antibiotics are the medicines that we use to treat bacterial conditions.
Antibiotic resistance crises arise due to overuse of medicine or taking medicine without a prescription. It is a naturalistic function and can occur in any human being of any age.
More than 1.2 million people died worldwide in 2019 from infections caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics, according to the largest study of the issue to date.
Every time you take medicine, there is a chance of antibiotic resistance. Resistance infections are sometimes challenging to deal with. How does this happen?
To stay, germs and infections in our body plan to shield against the antibiotics called the RESISTANCE MECHANISM. DNA tells the germs how to make proteins which supports them to resist the antibiotics. Eventually, the antibiotic-resistant germs share their resistance mechanism to other germs which have not come in contact with antibiotics.
There are some feasible tracks by which antibiotic resistance emerges.
Restriction on the entries of the antibiotic:
Germs restrict the entry of antibiotics by changing the thresholds or limiting the number of thresholds.
Get rid of antibiotics:
Germs get rid of antibiotics using pumps in their cell walls to remove antibiotic drugs that enter the cell.
Alter or overpower the antibiotic:
Germs alter or overpower the antibiotics with enzymes, proteins that break down the drug.
Skip the effects of the antibiotic:
Germs develop new cell processes that avoid using the antibiotic’s target.
Change the targets for the antibiotic:
Many antibiotics are designed in a way to destroy the targets of the bacteria or virus. But sometimes what happens is these bacteria change the antibiotic’s target so that the drug no longer can fit and do its work.
A growing number of infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, and salmonellosis are becoming harder to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective.
Some examples of antibiotic resistance antibiotics are;
To stop antibiotic resistance, many other drugs are produced but this is not the stable solution to this crisis. When penicillin was introduced in the early 1940s, humanity thinks of it as a miracle cure for many transmittable diseases. But, as early as 1945, penicillin resistance was found and started to spread. Although developing new drugs could be the solution, scientists have analysed the new approaches.
DEVELOPMENT OF COMPOUNDS THAT INACTIVATES RESISTANCE MECHANISMS: CLAVULANIC ACID
Clavulanic acid is a β-lactam drug that acts as a mechanism-based β-lactamase inhibitor. It is structurally similar to penicillin but not effective as an antibiotic when alone but by combining with penicillin-group antibiotics, it can overcome the antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Clavulanic acid is a molecule produced by the bacterium Streptococcus clavuligerus. It was first developed in the 1970s and was mass-marketed in combination with amoxicillin beginning in the 1980s under the brand name Augmentin. But resistance to the amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination soon appeared due to the increasing production of β-lactamase and overpowering the inhibitory effects of clavulanic acid. Instead of its failure, we can consider it as an important new strategy that inhibits the antibiotic resistance effects of antibiotics.
Combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid is used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, including infections of the ears, lungs, sinus, skin and urinary tract.
Amoxicillin kills bacteria by preventing them from making their own protective covering and Clavulanate is a β-lactamase inhibitor, that helps in blocking enzymes that often contribute to antibiotic resistance.
How can we prevent Antibiotic Resistance;
Prevent infections by regularly washing hands or sanitising them.
Prepare food hygienically.
Avoid close contact with sick people.
Never share or use spare antibiotics.
Use antibiotics only when prescribed by a certified health professional.
Do not use antibiotics for viruses like colds or flu.
Do not preserve antibiotics for later or do not use someone else’s prescription.
When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Finish your medicine even if you feel better. If you stop treatment too soon, some bacteria may persist and contaminate you again.
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SOURCES:
medlineplus.gov/antibioticsresistance.html
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
cdc.gov
who. int
clavulanic acid Wikipedia
courses.lumenlearning.com
Good job...
Very informative