No more antibiotics

antibiotics are no longer as useful as they used to be in the past. At times, doctors prescribe multiple antibiotics at the start of treatment and later have to switch to other antibiotics, which are often expensive or have more side-effects. The consequence['kón-si-kwun(t)s(outcome,परिणाम)] of surgical procedures is strongly linked to the success of antibiotics. It is not uncommon to learn of instances where the surgery went off well but the patient succumbed[su'kúm(give in,शिकार होना)] to an untreatable infection.

It is now considered a grave threat to public health across the globe and in India. Simply put, when infection-causing bacteria is not killed by an antibiotic that was effective earlier, the bacteria continue to thrive[thrIv(grow,पनपना)]. Treatment options shrink further when multiple antibiotics fail to kill the bacteria. With no new class of antibiotics having been developed for the past three decades, and a pipeline which is far from robust[row'búst(strong,मजबूत)] , the future of antibacterial therapy looks grim. It is no wonder then that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers a post-antibiotic era as a possibility in 21st century.

For the first time, this year (November 16−22) is being observed as World Antibiotic Awareness Week. This article also attempts to focus on the animal side of story i.e. the (mis)use of antibiotics in food-producing animals for two reasons. First, it is less known to us in India, as also evident from latest WHO report on awareness. Second, it is regarded as a significant contributor to the overall problem.

Getting to know what leads to the emergence and spread of this phenomenon is the first step towards understanding why resistance emanates['e-mu,neyt(come out,निकलना)] from animals. An antibiotic presence puts pressure on bacteria to select for resistance, a natural process. This is akin[u'kin(similar,समान)] to survival of the fittest. The ones that adapt, survive. However, misuse of antibiotics accelerates the emergence of resistance.  The traits of resistance pass on vertically and become similar to other kinds of bacteria nearby, most often through horizontal transfer of genetic material, which adds to reservoirs of resistant-bacteria in humans and the environment.

With its policy in 2012 to contain antimicrobial resistance, India started focussing on controlling the misuse of antibiotics in people, but with limited progress. A lot needs to be done as well to control misuse in animals. A study in 2014 by the Centre for Science and Environment on antibiotic residues in chicken meat, pointed towards the rampant[ram-punt(uncontrolled,अनियंत्रित)] use of antibiotics for non-therapeutic reasons such as growth promotion and mass disease prevention in poultry.

In the end, India needs to work towards prohibiting the misuse of antibiotics. Systems for monitoring trends of antibiotic use and integrated surveillance of resistance need to be created.

Clearly, antibiotics are to be handled with care. They are a global “public health good” and need to be preserved.we cannot afford to gloss over the issue and be complacent[kum'pley-sunt(self satisfied,आत्मसंतुष्ट)].

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