the Oxford Scientist
A Global Threat to Humanity:
Anti-Microbial Resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is spreading at an alarming rate, yet the antibiotic industry is only shrinking—could a pre-antibiotic era return as our future?
A
ntimicrobials
revolutionised
medicine. antibiotic, resistance can arise. Moreover, resistant
Before antibiotics, the average life expect‐ bacteria have existed long before humans used an‐ ancy was 47 years. Infections such as tibiotics, even being found in Egyptian mummies
pneumonia could easily be fatal, and to put it from 9000 years ago. bluntly, a scratch could kill. There is no better ex‐
But now, resistance has become a threat com‐
ample than the First World War, where at least parable to climate change due to the overuse of an‐ one-third of soldiers were killed by infections and timicrobials. It is reported that 700,000 people die diseases.
every year due to resistant microbes. At this rate,
But now, the rise of antimicrobial resistance resistance could kill up to 10 million people each (AMR) makes it possible for the horrors of the pre- year by 2050, which translates to a devastating one antibiotic era to return. AMR includes antibiotic person every three seconds. The more we use anti‐ resistance, which is when bacteria survive expos‐ ure to antibiotics that usually kill or slow their growth. Resistance is present naturally in some bacteria and can arise due to random mutation, while microbes can also acquire resistance from others through gene transfer. Antimicrobials are targeted at infections caused by
“Resistance is present naturally in some bacteria and can arise due to random mutation”
bacteria, viruses, and fungi, enabling us to treat microbials, the more resistance: by exposing life- threatening illnesses from tuberculosis to pathogens to antibiotics, selective pressure is ap‐ HIV, and malaria. Resistance not only paves the plied so that only resistant strains will survive and path for a future without such treatments, but it multiply, leading to greater numbers of resistant also means that common surgical procedures such bacteria. as organ transplants and C-sections will become
A prominent example of overuse is overpre‐
infeasible due to the high risk of infection. This scription. In 2016, the Centres of Disease Control risk is even larger for those with compromised im‐ and Prevention (CDC) reported that at least 30% mune systems, such as cancer patients undergoing of antibiotics prescribed to outpatients in the US chemotherapy.
were unnecessary, with more than 60% of respirat‐
Yet resistance is not new. Sir Alexander Flem‐ ory disease patients given antibiotics when not re‐ ing—the discoverer of the first antibiotic penicillin, quired. Antibiotics only work against bacterial warned us of this danger more than 50 years ago in infections, so taking them for a viral infection such his Nobel lecture. Fleming noted that if bacteria as the common cold will not do anything but drive were exposed to non-lethal concentrations of the resistance in the individual’s microbiome.
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