News stations are constantly warning us about the threats of climate change, hackers, and another season of Fuller House, but what doesn't get enough press is the rise of superbugs. We're not referring to a new species of insect aliens from Starship Troopers, but rather old enemies right here on Earth. Enemies so small that a microscope is required to see them, yet so mighty that just a few of them can spell the end of your existence.
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No, that's not what we mean by superbug. We're talking about pathogenic bacteria. |
Alexander Fleming's discovery that a mold (Penicillium notatum) produces a substance (penicillin) capable of killing bacteria revolutionized medicine, giving us the upper hand in the war on infectious disease. However, we are now losing our advantage in this war. |
Speaking of being caught with our pants down, a recent case in point is Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes gonorrhea. Once easily treated with a shot of penicillin, gonorrhea has quietly evolved resistance to multiple types of antibiotics over the years. Since there is now a danger of gonorrhea being untreatable once again (!), Neisseria gonorrhoeae is considered a superbug by the CDC. Pat Benatar warned us that "Love is a Battlefield"...and now the Huey Lewis request, "I Want a New Drug", takes on an urgent new meaning.
Gonorrhea used to be a very serious infection before the discovery of antibiotics. Today, scientists are sounding the alarm that the bacteria responsible for the infection may no longer be treatable if it continues to evolve resistance and we fail to develop new antibiotics. |
Two, the bacteria can acquire a gene that makes a protein called penicillinase, which can directly attack the penicillin compound and cut it up. Some bacteria already have this gene and can pass it along to other bacteria that do not have it. Penicillinase is like a bomb diffuser - the bacterial equivalent of Sergeant First Class William James in The Hurt Locker.
Three, bacteria can mutate proteins that are needed for the antibiotic to get into the bacteria cells. Finally, bacteria can also use "efflux" proteins to pump out the antibiotic. These two related strategies effectively keep the antibiotic out of the bacteria and away from its target. A cartoon summary of these mechanisms of antibiotic resistance is shown below.
In summary, bacteria have many ways to combat the drugs we use to kill them. We need to step up our game and fast if we want to stay ahead of the devastating infections bacteria inflict upon us. We need more kryptonite to defeat the superbugs!
For more on why bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, check out this informative video from Everyday Elements.
Contributed by: Bill Sullivan
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Blair, J., Webber, M., Baylay, A., Ogbolu, D., & Piddock, L. (2014). Molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance Nature Reviews Microbiology, 13 (1), 42-51 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro3380