Bacterial resistance, the harsh reality of antibiotic use

Antibiotics have long been effective medicines that help keep us safe from infections, but did you know we misuse their power? The World Health Organization (WHO) has sounded the alarm: drug resistance is spreading globally, and once-invincible antibiotics are losing their effectiveness. Infections we once feared — pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, salmonellosis — are making a comeback due to the loss of power.

The battle has reached a critical moment. Not only are we facing more challenging infections to treat, but the death rate is on the rise. The World Health Organization warns us that if we don’t change the way we use them, new medicines will suffer the same fate and become useless.

Many Antibiotics Are Found in Food

According to an article in the journal TecSciencee, a surprising 70 percent of antibiotics are not used to prevent or treat animal and plant diseases in food production. Instead, they are used to stimulate rapid growth of larvae and improve crops.

Yet such practices by the agricultural industry have raised public health alarms. The article stresses that this approach has serious consequences: the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that enter humans through the food we eat, posing major risks to our health.

Marcos de Donato, a professor in the Bioprocesses and Cell Biology research group in the Faculty of Engineering and Sciences (EIC), who is currently working on detecting drug-resistant bacteria, was quoted by TecScience as saying that antibiotics have become a part of human history. A milestone in the past, but today we live in the midst of a pandemic because of resistance to them.

De Donato told TecScience: “This mistake has spread to many levels. For example, they can only be used under medical supervision and guidance, but most antibiotics are prescribed by general practitioners, not infectious disease specialists. The general public doesn’t know much about what they are for and thinks they are flu symptoms.

He finds the lack of regulation of the use of antibiotics in agriculture to be mind-boggling. “You can buy tons of antibiotics with a simple prescription from a veterinarian and their use is not tracked. There is a lack of education for farmers and everyone involved with the food industry”.

Watch out for sewage!

Another point the scientist made certainly sounded alarm bells. Compounding the gravity of the situation is another factor: Wastewater from urban areas and medical facilities lacks any form of treatment for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and is often used in secondary irrigation systems.

“It is well known that in agricultural areas where this water is widely used for irrigation, infections with more resistant organisms often arise. This is a problem that must be addressed from an educational point of view, from the point of view of the use of antibiotics, and from the regulatory field,” The expert told Science Magazine.

“Through our massive operations, we are killing what is sensitive and leaving behind everything that is resistant. Antibiotics are a necessary weapon in the fight against health, but should only be used as a strategy when absolutely necessary.”

Bacteria are immersed in the microbial world, present in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. The challenge, however, is how bacterial resistance can change our ability to deal with diseases that should theoretically not be serious.

Marcos de Donato points out that diseases that used to be manageable are now having complications. Controlling urinary tract infections and diabetes, which weaken the immune system and can lead to diabetic feet and even amputations, are clear examples of this shift.

He believes that the solution is not to completely abandon antibiotics, but to use antibiotics precisely to avoid negative effects. They are a valuable tool, but their use must be carefully managed to ensure long-term effectiveness. This perspective underscores the importance of responsible stewardship for maintaining our health and wellbeing.