A tragedy that some call “a silent plague“It’s spreading all over the world. It’s growing steadily and silently, without attracting as much attention as the virus outbreak that occurred at the same time. The culprit is driving this epidemic: bacteria resistant to many drugs, also known as superbugs.
Superbugs show strong resistance to antibiotics, meaning that drugs that would cure infected people stop working. Bacteria develop this resistance over time, and can easily share that resistance with other organisms, thus making matters worse.
Scientists are working on develop other types of antibioticsas well as using strategies to make existing drugs work better. Live Science has been documenting their efforts, as well as the emergence and spread of new superbugs, over the past year. Here are 10 of our most important and interesting superbug stories of 2024.
Related: 10 of the deadliest superbugs scientists worry about
To kill a CRAB
A newly discovered antibiotics can be deadly resistant to carbapenems Acinetobacter baumanniior CRAB, a multidrug-resistant virus. This drug represents a new class of antibiotics, and kills bacteria by disrupting the machinery they need to make their outer membrane. The machine is very selective, which means that the medicine only works A. baumannii. This narrow target makes the drug less likely to suppress other types of bacteria to develop resistance, the scientists report.
“Hypervirulent” superbug is spreading
New types of a a superbug called hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) has been found in 16 countries, including the United States. Older strains of the virus were already a major problem, especially among people with weakened immune systems in healthcare settings. But now, hvKp is becoming more common – it can cause severe, rapidly progressive infections, even in people with strong immune systems.
Bugs that stay in the body
The study found that two about superbugs – namely, different types of antibiotics that are resistant to them K. pneumoniae and E. coli – it can live in the human body to five and nine years, respectively. This puts carriers of these bacteria at risk of repeated infections and exposing other people to the same germs. Meanwhile, superbugs also have the potential to share their antibiotic resistance genes with other bacteria.
C. differential evolution
The superbug Clostridioides difficile (called first Clostridium difficile) – or C. diff, in short – it can quickly become resistant to one of the main drugs used to treat it. However, this evolution comes at a costscientists have found. Once the virus becomes resistant, it appears to grow at a slower rate. To understand the nuances of how C. different Adapting to different antibiotics can help scientists develop new treatments that are difficult for the bug to resist.
Kryptonite for superbugs?
Could there be a way to turn superbugs back into normal antibiotic-resistant bugs? Scientists are to explore strategies for doing soan evolutionary biologist Tiffany Taylor explained. For example, some researchers hope to use phages – viruses that attack bacteria – to insert genes into antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Other labs are finding strategies to prevent bacteria from forming “biofilms” that are difficult to treat, or from making certain proteins. Together, these efforts are aimed at keeping our current antibiotics as effective as possible, for as long as possible.
“Phage Agent”
As the problem of antibiotics increases, some scientists are hunting for alternative treatments for bacterial infections. One of these treatments, called phage therapy, actually existed before the discovery of antibiotics but fell by the wayside once more effective drugs became available. In this section of his latest book, science journalist Lina Zeldovich highlights some early pioneers of phage therapy, which uses viruses to fight bacteria.
Related: Superbugs are on the rise. How can we prevent antibiotics from becoming obsolete?
How quickly can resistance arise?
It can be fast when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics? Clearly, the rates of evolution vary between species of bacteria, as well as other factors that affect their inner workings. But in general, bacteria can take the necessary changes to become resistant immediately or after a few days. In an infected person, the entire population of bacterial cells can effectively acquire resistance because once one cell has the resistance gene, it can share it with its neighbors.
Deep sea organisms
The next generation of antibiotics may be lurking in the deep seascientists report. Researchers have discovered that Arctic Ocean bacteria called Actinobacteria make unique combinations of antibiotics. These compounds have shown promise in enteropathogenic lab-dish tests. E. coliwhich causes intestinal infections. But it will take time before we know if these compounds will be useful in medicine.
Clearing “heteroresistance”
Some scientists are investigating a a unique type of antibiotic resistance called “heteroresistance.” Antibiotic-resistant bacteria may initially be susceptible to antibiotics, but when they are at a certain level, they suddenly “change” their resistance. they have not yet evolved of conducting an early microbiological examination, Karin Hjort, a biologist, told Live Science.
A new fungal infection in China
Chinese scientists have reported the identification of a a new fungal infection that has never been seen in humans. Although antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, so are fungi that cannot be attacked by antibiotics. In this case, fungus -. Rhodosporidiobolus fluvialis – has shown resistance to several early pathogens when grown in the laboratory at the same temperature as the human body. Research findings suggest that, as climate change continues. R. fluvialis and the same yeasts can evolve to gain more resistance.
Always ask yourself why some people build muscle more easily than others or why spots appear in the sun? Send us your questions about how the human body works community@livescience.com with the subject “Health Desk Q,” and you can see your question answered on the website!
#superbug #stories #bacterial #Kryptonite #deepsea #antibiotics
