It's Time to go Anti-Antibiotics

Antibiotics They are among the greatest medical advances in history. They are the savior of patients with pneumonia, tuberculosis, and enteritis. There is no doubt that these medicines are necessary to treat many diseases; however, it seems that everyone entering the doctor's office seems to bring a note with a prescription, is. With antibiotic abuse, the patient gets worse than before, the bacteria become more resistant, and the cost increases.

So why not make a new antibiotic to deal with these new bacterial strains? The answer is mainly economic. Since the 1980's there was no new class of antibiotics - drug research institutes ceased to invest in production, as they are not as profitable as anti-cholesterol drugs and cancer treatments. The cost of manufacturing and selling a single medicine is as much as $ 2.6 billion. However, considering the economic consequences of many people being infected with incurable diseases and being unable to get a job or attend school. Imagine how many health care workers, first aid workers, police and military officials are too sick to go to work and imagine the impact on public safety.

Understanding a wide range of antibiotics and antiinfective drugs is not easy. Antiinfective medicines are a large class of medicines covering a wide range of infectious diseases including fungi, viruses, bacteria and even protozoal infections. What about the players' legs? This is a common fungal infection. HIV? Antiviral drugs are always necessary. Bladder infection? Yes, this may require general antibiotics. Head lice? Topical antiparasitic drugs can reduce itching. There are no antibiotics that can treat all infections. Antibiotics treat infections caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, etc. It kills bacteria (sterilization) or protects against breeding and proliferation (bacteriostatic). Antibiotics can not fight virus infection

The time for our antibiotics is exhausted. In 2016, a woman in Nevada died of a bacterial infection caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to all available antibiotics. Colistin-resistant bacteria have been found in Chinese pig farm, this antibiotic is the last antibiotic. Bacteria evolved to fight antibiotics faster than ever. At the same time, scientists need more than ten years to develop new antibiotics and obtain FDA approval. The slow response of our means that we have failed in the competition of antibiotic weapons. Alternatives to combat bacterial infection are urgently needed. A promising way to kill bacteria is to use phage: a virus that infects and kills bacteria.

Phage: Do you solve the antibiotic problem? How can we use this virus to fight bacterial infections?