One of the
most laudable feat that we humans, who have been able to colonize this planet
and prove our superiority over other cohabitants is our ability to treat the
bacterial infections by the use of antibiotics.
Though Sir Alexander Flemming’s discoverey of bactericidal action of a mould (penicillin) on a bacterial culture plate of Staphylococcus aureus was a serendipitous accident, it has changed our lives since then. Mortality due to various infections has been greatly reduced and huge advancements have been made in the research and development of newer, stronger and safer antibiotics. Surgery no longer remains a life threatening nightmare and no one has to die today merely because of a minor infection or a wound abscess.
Though Sir Alexander Flemming’s discoverey of bactericidal action of a mould (penicillin) on a bacterial culture plate of Staphylococcus aureus was a serendipitous accident, it has changed our lives since then. Mortality due to various infections has been greatly reduced and huge advancements have been made in the research and development of newer, stronger and safer antibiotics. Surgery no longer remains a life threatening nightmare and no one has to die today merely because of a minor infection or a wound abscess.
It was our
great success in being able to tame the causative agents of the dreary
infections and we celebrated that for nearly about a decade when we found out
that some strains of bacteria previously killed by penicillin were not affected
by it anymore. Stronger and more recently developed broad spectrum antibiotics
have also been less effective than they used to be. We failed to consider the
micro organisms’ ability to adapt themselves to the adverse conditions. We
underestimated their experience in modifying their genetic makeup they have
gained over the past million years. We never anticipated that they might
overcome this simple taunt in order to preserve their species. Having very
short life span and ability to rapidly
modify themselves at genetic level, over thousands of generations they
have become resistant to most of the medications we have developed, and they
are continuously doing so.
The main
reason behind this situation we are right now is because we chose to use our newfound
weapon (antibiotics) against them without even bothering to find which
antibiotics is suitable for which infection , or even any antibiotic is
necessary at all. We didn’t halt to think which one is costly : the diagnosis
or empirical treatment ? We just used them for any viral or fungal infection
too just because they were easily accessible. Easy access made their use
excessive and the antibiotics soon lost their efficacy.
On the other
hand, in the rural part of the country where basic health care facilities have
not been established, people are dying due to minor sepsis and infections, just
because the minimum required dose of antibiotics is not in their access. The
super intelligent humans have failed to utilize their discovery for best and
are now on the verge of entering the post-antibiotic era, where all antibiotics
are ineffective and infections are fatal once again. The same disastrous
condition might come once again unless we become aware of antimicrobial
resistance, its rate, and efforts we have to make in order to prevent it.
So,
antibiotics should be used only when required in the prescribed dose.
Self-healing conditions , viral infections and fungal infections should not be
treated with antibiotics if we want to ensure their effectiveness in the years
to come. Let’s make an active effort to help prevent antimicrobial resistance,
let’s be the part of change. Together we can…!!!
