Antibiotics can increase the number of dangerous superbugs, international research makes a big claim
Antibiotic And Superbug: Australian researchers have identified a common antibiotic that helps in the growth of a nearly incurable superbug. According to news agency Xinhua, in a study published last Thursday, international researchers found that an antibiotic commonly prescribed to treat liver disease can increase the risk of dangerous superbugs in patients.
What does the research say?
The study was led by the University of Melbourne and included the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity and Austin Health.
Superbugs are the name given to bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi that have developed resistance to one or more of the antibiotics used to treat them, also known as antimicrobials (AMR).
Dangerous to global health
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described AMR as a major threat to global public health and development. It has also estimated that in 2019, 49.5 lakh people died due to it globally.
A new eight-year study found that the antibiotic Rifaximin has led to the global emergence of a nearly incurable version of the AMR superbug vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), a contagious bacterial infection that can cause serious health consequences in hospitalised patients.
Lab experiments and clinical studies conducted by researchers found that the use of rifaximin changed the DNA of VRE, making it resistant to the antibiotic daptomycin, a critical last-drug treatment for multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Glen Carter, senior author of the study from the University of Melbourne and the Doherty Institute, said the study challenges the previously held belief that rifaximin has a low risk of causing AMR. He said, "We have shown that rifaximin makes VRE resistant to daptomycin, which has never been seen before. It is also a matter of concern that these daptomycin-resistant VRE can also spread to other patients in the hospital. This is a hypothesis that we are currently investigating." The researchers said that the findings emphasize the critical need for effective genomics-based surveillance to detect emerging AMR.