Bacteria that are not affected by available antibiotics have also become resistant to disinfectants, reports New Scientist. We still underestimate the enemy that disarms our next weapon and becomes more and more dangerous.
- Scientists have shown that antibiotic-resistant bacteria also became resistant to disinfectants
- Washing your hands with effective disinfectants prevents the spread of drug-resistant bacteria
- If we do not stop overusing antibiotics, we will lose the war against bacteria
Of the twelve most dangerous bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics, published on the WHO list, two have certainly become resistant to disinfectants. This means that not only do we have nothing to heal the sick, but we also do not prevent the infection from spreading to others. The bacteria that accompany us throughout our lives, when they gain resistance to drugs and attack a weakened body, become a deadly threat. Now, after antibiotics, we have lost another weapon in the fight against them – disinfectants.
Antibiotic apocalypse
Antibiotics, discovered in the 50th century and called a miracle drug, saved the lives and health of many patients. Today they are losing their power, and this is because we have started to abuse them. We unnecessarily use them with viral infections to treat a runny nose, cough or flu, for which they do not work. In addition, we rarely do bacteriological diagnostics that allows us to choose the right drug, and even if we manage to prescribe the right antibiotic, patients often stop the treatment prematurely. Antibiotics are also used in glaze joints, paints and cleaning agents. Although EU regulations prohibit their use in breeding poultry or other animals, food producers bypass these regulations by using the so-called medicated feed. Inappropriate use of these drugs means that microorganisms with genes immunizing them against antibiotics survive in our body. Bacteria are able to pass these genes on to each other, making the entire strain resistant to the antibiotic. They can also share information with other strains of bacteria. In addition, there is no chance of the emergence of new antibiotics in the near future. Most of the available drugs were created in the 70s and 800s, because today it is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies to introduce new antibiotics to the market. The cost of such a venture is about $ XNUMX million, and bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to these drugs, making them worthless.
Another war losses
New Scientist reports that two of the twelve WHO listed bacteria have become resistant to disinfectants. Until now, we could prevent the spread of infections with these bacteria by disinfecting our hands with special alcohol-based liquids. But we underestimated the enemy.
Alcohol-based hand sanitisers were introduced widely in hospitals in the early 20s to stem the expansion of drug-resistant superbugs. It was thought that although they were good with antibiotics, they died outside the body from alcohol because it would kill them much faster. 30-XNUMX seconds is enough. The results of the latest research published by the New Scientist magazine prove that bacteria have disarmed our weapons as well.
Scientists used a mouse cage for the experiment. First, she was contaminated with antibiotics resistant to many antibiotics, including vancomycin called the last-resort antibiotic, enterococcal bacteria – the so-called VRE. They live in the human body, mainly in the last part of the digestive tract, and also in the oral cavity, and usually do not harm us. However, in debilitated and elderly people after surgery, they can cause endocarditis, urinary tract infection and other postoperative infections. They account for about 25 percent. all nosocomial infections.
Then the entire cage was disinfected with the hand disinfectant used in hospitals and rodents were admitted there. It turned out that all animals became infected with this bacterium.
Other bacteria learn too
Similarly, another bacterium from the XNUMX listed by the WHO has become resistant to disinfectants, namely MRSA, which is resistant to antibiotics. Staphylococci commonly live on our skin. Especially on the lining of the nose. However, they can cause serious infections during surgery or in debilitated patients. MRSA infections that spread in hospitals can lead to meningitis and pneumonia.
Thorough hand washing plays a huge role in preventing the transmission of staphylococci. So what if the bacteria are no longer afraid of the disinfectant liquid. Scientists propose to increase the concentration of alcohol in it, which so far has ranged even from 75 percent. up to 85 percent or the use of other substances, e.g. chlorhexidine. However, we cannot be sure that bacteria will defeat our weapons as well.