Just in 2019 alone, the CDC reports that 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections take place in the United States and take the lives of 35,000 people. The report the CDC published categorizes antibiotic-resistant bacteria as urgent, serious, and concerning based on the level of threat. When I looked at the urgent cases of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, I recognized several bacteria we have studied in Microbiology. One that I wanted to focus in on is Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The CDC explains that these bacteria are a serious threat in healthcare facilities and some Enterobacteriaceae can resist almost all antibiotics. An example of bacteria from this family is Escherichia coli.
So, what makes bacteria resistant to certain antibiotics? For the family of Enterobacteriaceae, the CDC explains that they have continued to develop ways to undermine the effects of antibiotics used against them. The Reactgroup.org expresses that antibiotic-resistant bacteria have the ability to combat the effects of antibiotics that once were able to kill them. This causes infections to continue and therefore, explain the losses of many people. These resistant bacteria are a threat now and Science Daily describes a new species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in the Enterobacteriaceae family in Sweden. Its name is Scandinavium goeteborgense.
In class, Dr. Kramer told us that these organisms are becoming resistant because we are receiving antibiotics even when we aren’t sick through intake of animal products. Now, farmers are putting antibiotics in their feed in order to make the animals fatter for production. Also, Dr. Kramer expressed that many companies claim to sell products that are antibiotic free, but this term means that the animals cannot have antibiotics in their systems a few weeks prior to being sold. However, the animals may have been fed antibiotics since they were born and only stop ingesting them close to production time. This is a serious threat to our health because even when we think we are choosing the right meat that is antibiotic free, it actually may not be the case. If the market doesn’t change, there will be increased risk of infection from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Also, it is imperative that healthcare providers take special care when diagnosing patients and treating with antibiotics because patients may not have that specific disease that the antibiotics target.
Carley's Blog 