Microorganism Infection

The history of microorganism infection predates written accounts. Evidence of ancient prophylactic measures such as applying mold and soil to wounds attests to the age–old challenge of combatting illnesses caused by microbes. The modern era of medicine began with advents in the treatment of widespread ailments, most notably the discovery of penicillin by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928 (“History of Antibiotics,” 2010). With the first effective compound against bacterial proliferation, infections such as syphilis and tuberculosis proved no match for the powerful drug. Yet, over decades of medical advances, the development of antimicrobial drugs has become all but stagnant, stymied by a lack of discovery of new compounds that might offer medicinal …show more content…
Without significant intervention and study of the rise of drug resistance, the world will enter a post–antimicrobial era in which people may die from the simplest of infections.
The CDC estimates that 2 million Americans are infected with drug–resistant bacteria every year, of whom 23,000 do not survive (Antibiotic Resistance Threats, 2013) The greatest threats include Clostridium difficile, vancomycin–resistant Enterococcus, and drug–resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. The world no longer produces new antimicrobial research at a sustainable rate, thus giving rise to the dominance of mutated organisms. The natural evolution of infectious microbes such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi proceeds steadily with the increased use of drugs. The WHO describes microbial resistance as having greater frequency when drugs are misused (“Antimicrobial resistance,” 2014). A few surviving mutants in the presence of a drug may lead to the rapid proliferation of a strain that does not respond as accordingly as its predecessors may have. Yet, the mechanism of varying susceptibility to …show more content…
In countries suffering from poor sanitation and a lack of adequate healthcare, the incidence of resistant infections is abounding. Indeed, this is only for those countries that even track infection rates. 22 countries provide data on the prevalence of the most threatening resistant strains. 107 others have limited information about the effect on public health. A remaining 65 countries do not have even the most basic means of monitoring the problem. The most obvious culprit is the abuse of antimicrobials. Many countries do not require a prescription to obtain antibiotics. After all, healthcare is a costly luxury in many parts of the world and an effort to hamper access to drugs would be tantamount to denying medical treatment. In more developed nations, healthcare personnel may be compelled by patients to inappropriately offer drugs for ailments that may not even be treatable by the prescription—taking antibiotics for malaria, for instance. Another possible source of resistance is livestock that receive antibiotics to produce greater yield. Mutant strains may develop inside animals that then contaminate environmental resources like crops consumed by humans and drinking water. Improper cooking of the meat of affected animals could also spur the rate of infection. Consequently, the need for widespread and effective research could not be more demanding. The WHO’s findings call for immediate action to offset the already