“If people do not change the way antibiotics are used now, these new antibiotics will suffer the same fate as the current ones and become ineffective” . Credit: Adil Siddiqi/IPS

MADRID, Apr 11 2023 (IPS) – Research after research, world s scientists renew their loud alerts against the high dangers of human-driven ‘superbugs bacterias and pathogens that no longer respond to antimicrobials, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

No way.

The pressure of giant industrial sectors appear to be heavier than the needed political well to reduce the dangerous impacts of the excessive use of those drugs which are widely employed to prevent and treat infections in humans, aquaculture, livestock, and crop production.

Antibiotics are perhaps the most familiar ones, but there are many others, including numerous antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitic agents that have been largely used and misused to treat diseases but that end up spreading them.

They are known as ‘superbugs resulting from their increasing resistance to those medicines. And they are antimicrobial resistant germs which are found in people, animals, food, plants and the environment (in water, soil and air).

“They can spread from person to person or between people and animals, including from food of animal origin,” as further by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization ().

Such an increasing abuse of antimicrobials and other microbial stressors (e.g. the presence of heavy metals and other pollutants) creates favourable conditions for microorganisms to develop resistance.

The big threat

They represent one of the most complex threats to global health, and food safety and security. Much so that the World Health Organization () lists Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) among the top 10 threats for global health.

The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens that have acquired new resistance mechanisms, leading to antimicrobial resistance, continues to threaten the ability to treat common infections, WHO.

Alarming advance of multi-resistant bacterias

“Especially alarming” is the rapid global spread of multi- and pan-resistant bacterias that cause infections that are not treatable with existing antimicrobial medicines such as antibiotics.

“The clinical pipeline of new antimicrobials is dry.” In 2019 WHO identified 32 antibiotics in clinical development that address its list of priority pathogens, of which only six were classified as innovative.

Moreover, estimates suggest that by 2050 up to 10 million additional direct deaths could occur annually. That is on par with the 2020 rate of global deaths from cancer.

Additionally, in the next decade, AMR could result in a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shortfall of at least 3.4 trillion US dollars annually and push 24 million more people into extreme poverty.

Antibiotics, increasingly ineffective

According to the World Health Organization, the lack of access to quality antimicrobials remains a major issue. Antibiotic shortages are affecting countries of all levels of development and especially in health-care systems.

“Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective as drug-resistance spreads globally leading to more difficult to treat infections and death.”

New antibiotics urgently needed

New antibacterials are urgently needed – for example, to treat carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections as identified in the WHO priority pathogen list.

“However, if people do not change the way antibiotics are used now, these new antibiotics will suffer the same fate as the current ones and become ineffective.”

Meanwhile, FAO, “the situation is expected to worsen as global demand for food increases,” adding that it is therefore paramount that the agrifood systems are progressively transformed to reduce the need for antimicrobials.

What drives antimicrobials?

As mentioned above, such a threat is primarily driven by the excessive application of antimicrobials, the international body adds. In fact, currently, more than 70% of antimicrobials sold worldwide are used in animals for human consumption.

While AMR occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes, FAO that their main drivers include:

– misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in human health and agriculture;

– lack of access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for both humans and animals;

– poor infection and disease prevention and control in healthcare facilities and farms;

– poor access to quality, affordable medicines, vaccines and diagnostics; and

– weak enforcement of legislation.

Who influences the spread of superbugs?

According to UN reports, three economic sector value chains profoundly influence AMR s development and spread:

Pharmaceuticals and other chemicals manufacturing
Agriculture and food including terrestrial animal production, aquaculture, food crops or those providing inputs such as feed, textiles, ornamental plants, biofuels, and other agricultural commodities.