Superbug is classified as antibiotic resistant microbes that are emerging in the world. The emergence of superbugs is due to imprudent and redundant use of antibiotics on illnesses such as the flu, cold, etc. According to the research article published on ACM Digital Library, a research platform, the World Health Organization delineated 12 antibiotic-resistant bacteria as superbugs. There are many problems associated with the emergence of superbugs with one of them being increasing morbidity and mortality rates. This is due to bacteria’s ability to evolve every time with exposure to antibiotic treatment. Along with that, in the research article, it mentions that there is extremely little information antibiotic resistance so it is difficult to develop a solution to the problem.
As mentioned in the paragraph above, the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is due to misusage of the antibiotics in humans and inability to create antibiotics that bacteria can’t evolve from. The article on superbugs from Indian Journal of Practical Pediatrics describes superbugs as the microbes that evolved through “survival of the fittest”. Moreover, some superbugs are multidrug resistant which makes it even more challenging. Losing the ability to use antibiotics is another deadly threat posed to the human population. This means there are no longer effective treatments available for certain conditions and people who are vulnerable to illnesses are at a greater risk.
Before I took this class, I have never heard about superbug and through doing this blog, I realize how threatening superbug actually is. The fact that there is very little information about the mechanism of antibiotic resistance is alarming to me and also makes me wonder what the medical researchers are doing about the problem. Some bacteria are building resistance to some of the very powerful antibiotics and I wonder what steps the medical researchers will take next in order to stop this from rising into something worse. It is even more cautionary for people who are susceptible to diseases and the regions around the world that are not aware of the importance of infection control. In this situation, I think the best way to delay the emergence of more superbugs is to practice efficient antibiotic management and infection control.
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