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Many bacteria are becoming increasingly
resistant to antibiotics and it appears to be our fault.
The widespread use of antimicrobials in
medicine, production of food animals, crops, and even the disinfectants in
household products is considered suspect.
In 1999, the American Academy of
Microbiology convened a colloquium to bring together leading scientists to
review the fundamental relationships between the use of antimicrobial
agents and their effects. Their report; Antimicrobial
Resistance: An Ecological Perspective, identifies numerous factors
contributing to the problem and outlines recommendations for the
future. This report also states:
"As existing antimicrobial agents
decline in effectiveness, infections will be more difficult and expensive
to treat and epidemics harder to control. The environmental
consequences of the widespread use of antimicrobial agents are still
little understood."
Bacteria are considered an integral
element to life. Most are harmless, and many are beneficial to their
host. Bacteria cover our skin and mucous membranes and line our
intestinal tracts. Many work to protect us from disease by limiting
the ability of more harmful bacteria to colonize.
Bacteria are able to respond to changes
in their environments because they have unique abilities to adapt and
generation times are relatively short (minutes to hours for cell
division). Resistance develops when bacteria genetically mutate
and/or acquire genes from other organisms; a process of events which
increases due to selective pressures including the use of
antimicrobials. The altered, or resistant strains of bacteria can
now flourish as there are fewer antimicrobials to affect their
existence...and the circle continues.
A study by Consumers Union, the
non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports, revealed that the number of
contaminated raw chickens in supermarkets has declined, however, 90
percent of the Campylobacter bacteria and 34 percent of the Samonella
bacteria present were resistant to one or more antibiotics. (Proper
handling and cooking can eliminate these contaminants.) [See the
January, 2003 Issue of Consumer
Reports]
And from the CDC
website:
"Antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella
results from the use of antimicrobial agents in food animals, and these
antimicrobial resistant Salmonella are subsequently transmitted to humans,
usually through the food supply. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of
isolates collected from persons with Salmonella infections show more
resistance to antimicrobial agents used in agriculture than to,
antimicrobial agents used for the treatment of Salmonella infections in
humans. Because of the adverse health consequences in humans and animals
associated with the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant
Salmonella, there is an urgent need to emphasize non-antimicrobial
infection control strategies, such as improved sanitation and hygiene, to
develop guidelines for the prudent usage of antimicrobial agents, and
establishment of adequate public health safeguards to minimize the
development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and
dissemination of Salmonella resistant to these agents."
Angulo F, Johnson K, Tauxe
R, Cohen M. Significance and sources of antimicrobial-resistant
nontyphoidal Salmonella infections in the United States. Microbial Drug
Resistance 2000; 6 (1): 77-83.
"Special efforts and innovative
methods must be employed to investigate the global impact of antimicrobial
resistance and find more effective ways to educate health care
professionals, policy makers, and the public."
Antimicrobial Resistance:
An Ecological Perspective
American Academy of Microbiology; 1999
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