A possible treatment for Multi-drug resistant bacteria?

 One of the things I remember from an evolution class was that the last antibiotic found

was discovered in 1987, meaning that as bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, we have finite

resources for treatment. Scientists at the University of Portsmouth discovered an organic

compound that could be a possible treatment for life-threatening multi-drug resistant (MDR)

bacterial infections.

Hydroquinone is a compound found in some tree bark and has been shown to effectively kill

bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and

Klebsiella pneumoniae. MDR bacteria is an issue for healthcare because it is associated with

approximately 35,000 deaths per year. The compound interferes with how the bacteria move,

and the expression of genes that affect virulence. The most promising thing about this

compound is its effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, since some strains of this species are

resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics such as Amoxicillin and Trimethoprim. In addition to

its drug-resistant properties, the drug also has applications in treating malaria and relieving

muscle cramps.

I chose this article because MDR bacteria is a major concern for healthcare settings and

I am interested in the action scientists are taking in order to look for treatment. Although this

drug hydroquinone applies to infection, something I would want to investigate following reading

this article is how the overuse of antibiotics among livestock is being handled. To combat disease,

often animals are fed antibiotics as a preventative measure. I am curious about what preventative

alternatives could be done to prevent infectious diseases among livestock.

Samantha Bunner (7)

University of Portsmouth.  How naturally-occurring compound kills major drug-resistant bacteria:

Researchers say hydroquinone could be an effective weapon against a germ that can cause serious

infections in humans, mostly hospital patients." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 October 2022.

<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221028111631.htm>.

Comments

  1. Sneha MageshNovember 2, 2022 at 10:18 AM

    Hi Samantha! This was a really interesting read! I did not realize this was a topic of issue, that there was not, until now, a treatment for multi-drug resistant bacteria. I wonder if this treatment works for all multi-drug resistant bacteria or just some types?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousNovember 4, 2022 at 8:52 AM

      Hi Sneha! This is just one of many treatment options for multi drug resistant bacteria. Since there are so much variation in bacterial infection from a wide range of species to a wide range of strains within the species, the treatments for MDR bacteria needs to be very specified to prevent the progression of resistance to that treatment type. I think that this drug treatment option for some, but not all MDR bacteria.
      - Samantha Bunner

      Delete
  2. AnonymousNovember 2, 2022 at 1:55 PM

    Hi Samantha! I thought that your post was really interesting. I know that drug resistance bacteria is an issue but was not aware that there was a possible treatment. Can antibiotic use in livestock in turn affect us and antibiotic resistance for us? What would be some measures to prevent antibiotic resistance?
    - Alissa N

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousNovember 4, 2022 at 8:56 AM

      Hi Alissa! There are two main ways that I think overuse of antibiotics in livestock affect us. One way is from the evolutionary perspective that using antibiotics drives the mechanisms of evolution to select for resistance faster, increasing the likelihood that we would be infected from a resistant strain of bacteria. Another way is if the antibiotics fed as an effect in our body. There is a very small amount of antibiotics in our food but I'm not sure of any direct effects, but I think it might outweigh the cost of getting eating infectious meat.
      - Samantha Bunner

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 2, 2022 at 7:40 PM

    Hi Sam! It's crazy to think that the last discovered antibiotic was in 1987 and how people don't really think about antibiotic resistance as a major issue. Is there a reason why antibiotics are overused in livestock rather some other alternative?
    - Tiffany Pham

    ReplyDelete
  4. Elizabeth HardyNovember 2, 2022 at 7:48 PM

    When you say the last antibiotic found was discovered in 1987, are you saying we have not made any advancements in antibiotics since then? Or just that we have been unable to discover any since then? This is very thought provoking. I would have assumed that we discover new antibiotics all the time with how much bacteria mutates to become resistant. Will there ever come a time where bacteria moves too fast for us and we cannot make new antibiotics?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousNovember 4, 2022 at 9:00 AM

      Hi Elizabeth! I too found this fact very thought provoking. Antibiotics are found naturally in the environment, so I think this fact refers to discovering these natural antibiotics like penicillin. I think you asked a very interesting question about the bacteria moving too fast, and I think maybe this is a current problem which is why we have more MDR bacteria.
      - Samantha Bunner

      Delete
  5. Victoria LeongNovember 2, 2022 at 8:13 PM

    Hi Samantha! Antibiotic resistant bacteria specifically is such a major issue that involves so many people as antibiotics are constantly over-prescribed, leading to resistance becoming more common. It really gives a lot of hope to see that there are alternatives being studied of treatments that can be used instead of antibiotics. Are there any downsides to using this method of treatment? Or are there any other antibiotic alternatives that you know of?

    ReplyDelete

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