Superbug Research

Bacteria that are resistant to several types of antibiotics are called multi-resistant bacteria (also known as superbugs). Superbugs have caused a global epidemic, hiding in plain sight. Every year, superbugs kill off thousands of people, rob them of their health insurance and cost the state millions in order to control this so called epidemic.

Section 3 of the Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health Act or the PATH Act, which call for current PATH Act legislation to be modified so that it “will allow health experts to more easily develop new treatments for antibiotic resistant bacteria, and make real progress in presenting a great number of illnesses and deaths in the United States”1. In addition, this new legislation will impact Section 506 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C 356) by introducing into its current language a new subsection (g) “Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial Drugs”. Thus creating new avenues for the introduction of alternative treatments for limited populations based on the recommendation of Secretary

Antibiotics-resistant organisms have become one of the most serious threats to public health, infecting over two million people and killing approximately 23,000 people annually.1 According to the CDC, “total inappropriate antibiotic use,” such as prescribing unnecessary antibiotics or giving the wrong dose or duration, makes up to 50% of all outpatient antibiotic use,2,3 and in 2009, the United States spent $10.7 billion on antibiotics, indicating that there is a lot of potential money to save.4

A Superbug is a bacterium that can live in the human body and has the ability to withstand all forms of antibiotic medication. Superbugs are becoming increasingly significant in modern medicine as they are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotics were discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming (Walsh and McManus, 2000). This resulted in a huge movement forward in medical history and even greatened human life expectancy. Since then antibiotics have been widely used and abused, people began to treat everything with this ‘miracle’ drug. If antibiotics are continually used as bacteria grows exponentially more resistant to them then eventually society will fall back into an era without the readily

The article “The End of Antibiotics” discusses a 57 year old man that was dying and how doctors could only sit by while his condition deteriorated. This man was not shot or stabbed, he was infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria that was slowly killing him. He died months later after being bombarded with antibiotics in the form of capsules, tablets, and IVs (Begley par.1). This is the unsettling power that superbugs like this one has over modern day medicine. A superbug is a bacteria that has evolved its cellular structure to resist antibiotics. Dr. Richard Wenzel of the University of Iowa stated, “Only a few years after penicillin came into wide use with World War II, strains of staph had emerged

| I sometimes write analyses that demonstrate depth of thought about both primary and secondary sources.

At least two million people are infected with antibiotic resistant superbugs and at least 23,000 die from them.

It is undeniable that the recent discovery of antibiotics and disinfectants in the past century is leading to the creation of increasingly dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Super bugs like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus have begun breaking out in hospital areas, killing more and more patients due to the lack of people following through with simple safety measures. In order to stop the creation and spread of antibiotic-resistant super bugs, proper precautions must be taken such as avoiding antibacterial cleaners, following through with instructions when taking prescriptions and maintaining adequate hand hygiene. Through adhering to basic safety rules, the creation and spread of super bugs can be minimized and all together

Throughout my life, adults have insisted the use of antibiotics to fight against the most inconsequential illnesses, whether it’s the cold or the flu. However, neither illness is due to invasion of bacteria. This misuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, also known as antimicrobial resistance(AMR), currently one of the central issues facing the public health system. While the process for antibiotic resistance occurs naturally through the process of adaptation, the mismanagement of antibiotic resources has accelerated the rate at which the bacteria adapt. The occurrence of this misinformation isn’t limited to a few adults: even some of my peers suggest taking antibiotics when faced with the flu. This leads to asking whether AMR is truly a problem and are present regulations enough to combat the issue.

Resistance among bacteria to current antibiotics may cause a new pre-antibiotic era, where common bacterial infections become as lethal as before the invention of the first antibiotic penicillin. With resistance on the rise, ‘simple’ surgery, cancer treatment and organ transplantation may become impossible.[4] Despite this very big and real threat[1], big pharmaceutical companies have abandoned or decreased their efforts to develop new antibiotics, while the demand for new and broad –and small– spectrum antibiotics is increasing.[2] [3] In this paper I will give an outline of the main factors why big pharmaceutical companies are no longer developing new antibiotics and I will attempt to pose possible solutions –call it Utopian solutions– that may turn the tide before it is too late.

The world health organisation has announced antibiotic resistance and the rise of superbugs as a great threat to human race. Superbugs are defined as bacteria equipped bacteria with "bullet proof vests” of antibiotic resistance that deflect "magic silver bullets" of antibiotics. Under right circumstances, they can transfer the antibiotic resistance genes to other bacteria and completely paralyse humans to combat against bacteria (news.com.au 2014). In Australia, thousands of people per year are diagnosed with superbugs and these victims often face a prolonged illness and ultimately death (Pogson 2012). The severity of the problem can become apparent by referring to the death attributable to antibiotic resistance every year from 2014 to 2050,

Hospitals in the United States do not have to report outbreaks to the government. However, according to the documentary the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimated that two million Americans are infected with resistance bacteria, which can result in about 23,000 Americans death each year. This is a hidden and silent epidemic with KPC found in hospitals in 44 states in the United States. In addition, there have been 32 confirmed cases this documentary in 14 countries with NDM-1 gene. The documentary should have explored what the U.S., India and other countries do differently or similarly in treating the superbug NDM-1. The US had in recent years signed a deal with GlaxoSmithKline worth $200 million on development and research of drug resistance antibiotics (Hirschler). GlaxoSmithKline is a “global healthcare group, which is engaged in the creation and discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of

Presently, bacteria are a growing concern, more specifically, the super bacteria also known as superbug- a drug-resistant bacteria that can cause serious illnesses in humans. This bacterium is immune to antibiotics that supposedly help cure diseases. As defined by Dave Mosher, Superbugs are human-executing microorganisms that present-day medications fail to battle. The term has transformed after some time, in any case. "Superbug" appeared in the prominent press after 1970, as indicated by LexisNexis news database seeks, and was at first used to depict contamination eating microorganisms. From that point forward, the word has advanced to depict solid yet risky irresistible maladies. (Mosher,

The Food and Drug Administration has proposed and created several regulations throughout the years. One of them is the regulation to establish a list of qualifying pathogens that may have the potential to propose or cause a great threat. According to the FDA, this proposed rule would implement a provision of the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now of the FDA. This regulation would assist in reassuring the development of new antibacterial and antifungal drugs. Before the development of new drugs, the FDA must take into consideration the effect on public health due to drug- resistant organisms in humans. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss and highlight what this regulation truly means and the issues surrounding it.

A couple times a year local and national mass media put the spotlight on problems connected to antibiotic overuse. Some people consider those problems to be real and serious, and others think that the discussed topics are nothing more than new “fashionable” subjects to talk about, distracting people from “real” problems, such as climbing gas prices or war expenses. Meanwhile, antibiotic overuse continues as a common practice among US doctors and agribusinesses for the last 20 years. The practice of antibiotic overuse has put patient’s health at risk, contributed to antibiotic resistance and increased bacterial mutation to a new, stronger level; as well as it hitting the economy with new costly expenses in health care. It is time to stop