more and more antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Every day in Europe, nearly a hundred people die from infections caused by bacteria that no longer respond to medicines. A particularly worrying trend, according to the European Health Service.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warns that the number of deaths from antibiotic resistance is on the rise in Europe. Every year in the European Union (EU), 35,000 people die from an infection caused by a bacterium that can no longer be treated with medicines. There are just under 100 a day.

For Isabel Spriet, hospital pharmacist at UZ Leuven, these figures are no surprise. ‘Especially Gram-negative germs like the Klebsiella pneumoniae in Acinetobacter spp they are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics carbapenems, which is considered a last resort. But also in other enterobacteria and bees Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a persistent hospital bacterium, resistance is steadily increasing. In 2005, fewer than five percent of E. coli strains were resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics, by 2016 this had risen to eight percent. This has to do with the growing consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics in hospitals.’

This is even more disturbing a European study shows that half of the respondents mistakenly believe that antibiotics help against viruses. In Belgium, 40% would not know that antibiotics are not effective against viruses. And only three out of ten Belgians would be aware that antibiotics can lose their effect if they are used for no reason and that you should only stop taking them after a full course. “Antibiotics are essential for severe bacterial infections, but they don’t work against viruses,” Spriet points out. “You would think people would have learned something during the corona pandemic, right?”

Self-treatment

The cause of resistance is the overuse and abuse of antibiotics. When a bacterium is treated too often with an antibiotic, there is a chance that the bacteria will become resistant to it. But even if antibiotics are used incorrectly, a bacterium will always be able to protect itself better. Then he is no longer sensitive to the drug and common infections become increasingly difficult to treat.

Global consumption of antibiotics has declined, but that doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels. For example, the administration of some types of antibiotics is on the increase and in some European countries antibiotics are also available without a prescription.

“One of the key elements in fighting microbial resistance is avoiding misuse of antibiotics,” says Spriet. ‘Prescription is absolutely necessary to prevent patients from treating themselves. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) makes recommendations, but effective and detailed legislation is not a European competence.’

But there are even more factors that may ensure more sparing use of antibiotics. Spriet: ‘When diagnosing a suspected viral infection, doctors should explicitly state that antibiotics are not recommended. Pharmacists need to enter the conversation when patients with a delayed prescription want to purchase antibiotics. The government must continue to invest in national campaigns, including on social media. And why don’t we already talk about it in biology lessons at school?’

Actions to return leftover medicine to the pharmacy are also helpful, Spriet says. ‘In Belgium, people are considering no longer providing full packs to the patient via pharmacies, but switching to “unit doses”. This way we avoid leftovers and the duration of the treatment is clearer for the patient. But we shouldn’t just limit its overuse and misuse in human medicine. We must also limit the administration of antibiotics in veterinary medicine, agriculture and the food industry”.

Spriet cannot stress enough the importance of prudent use of antibiotics, because some studies paint a very bleak picture. “In a studio Nature who is often quoted, calculated that by 2050 around ten million patients worldwide will die from multi-resistant germs. Antibiotic resistance and associated mortality has long been called the “silent pandemic,” but the scientific world is asking for it stop doing it. Even the term “silent pandemic” denies the harsh reality of the situation. Furthermore, we are wrong about the enemy: not bacteria, but humans are responsible for the resistance.’