Beware of antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the greatest threats to global health, food and development.

(World Health Organization 5-2-2018)

 

For several years now, the scientific community has been warning about this global crisis. But the medical, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries have not paid attention. Now, humanity is becoming vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant diseases.

It all began in 1928 with the discovery of penicillin and since then, antibiotics have played a crucial role in fighting bacteria and infections. Although they have saved millions of lives, increased human life expectancy and eliminated contagious diseases that were once the cause of death in developed countries, there are risks.

As antibiotics have become more specialized and affordable, we've started to see the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Bacteria have become resistant to the drugs that once killed them.

A vicious cycle has begun in which antibiotics are administered extensively to combat resistant bacteria. Doctors use increasingly specialized antimicrobials to combat new strains of resistant bacteria. What eventually happens is that the excessive use of antibiotics gives rise to a “super bacteria” that can no longer be treated with antibiotics and, what is worse, these ultra-resistant bacteria can be deadly.

“Superbugs or super viruses”

Recently, in a documentary about homeopathy, I heard the term “superbug” or “super virus,” referring to a photographer who had contracted an infection (MERS) at work from which he could not recover and no antibiotics were working. ( 1 )

Currently, antibiotic-resistant infections, or superbugs, kill 700,000 people every year ( UN news ). According to the Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, the overuse of antifungal drugs is on the verge of causing a “global crisis” that could have a serious long-term impact. If we do not act now, the death rate could increase by 1,400% resulting in 10 million human deaths a year.

Antibiotics in the medical field

The pharmaceutical industry plays a crucial role in the number of antibiotic prescriptions that doctors write. Because pharmaceutical companies have so much money to influence governments, university curricula, studies and experiments, it is not unusual for doctors to learn from a biased perspective how to use these drugs even as a preventive measure.

Many doctors prescribe a broad spectrum of drugs for almost every type of infection because that is what they were taught in medical school. Alerting doctors to the serious threat posed by drug-resistant pathogens is vital if we are to reduce the use of antibiotics in applied medicine. ( 2 )

Other factors that contribute to the spread of this antibiotic resistance

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is defined as the ability of a bacterium to survive in antibiotic concentrations that inhibit/kill other bacteria of the same species. 

Antibiotics act on pathogenic bacteria, i.e. those that cause infection, but also on beneficial bacteria, also called commensals, which are more numerous; selecting resistant strains and resistance genes. Selection is based on both appropriate and inappropriate use of the antibiotic.

According to the report of the infectious diseases journal (3), bacteria do not respect borders and today, the whole world is hyperconnected (food and animal trade, tourism, health and business travel, emigration, refugees, missionaries, military personnel on missions abroad, aid workers). Strains reach any place, so the problem is global.

A high acquisition of ESBL-carrying enterobacteria (extended spectrum beta-lactamase) has been reported in travelers to high incidence areas such as Asia.

They are also important in the spread of food. The prevalence of ESBL-producing E.Coli in chicken meat samples.

Another possible route is through pets to humans and vice versa, and also between horses. Wild animals can act as a reservoir and potential source of dissemination.

Strains carrying ESBL colonize healthy people around the world, but not in the same proportion, for example, more in India than in Europe. This suggests that factors such as lack of drinking water, poverty, and population density favor the spread, as occurs with bacteria that cause diseases transmitted by the fecal-oral route.

The constant release of antibiotics into the environment via wastewater poses a risk of selection of resistant bacteria, especially in places such as wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater treatment plants are considered to be particularly suitable sites for selection and subsequent dissemination of resistant bacteria and resistance genes in the environment. ESBL-producing E. coli was found in more than 50% of wastewater samples from several wastewater treatment plants in Austria.

Homes of people with high antibiotic consumption, and also with a high density of vulnerable population such as hospitals in general, hospital ICUs, nursing homes, where other conditions may also occur (patient condition, hygiene, etc.).

The use of low concentrations of antibiotics in animal diets has been associated with increased weight gain, so antibiotics have been used massively for years, especially in the United States, as animal growth promoters contributing to the spread of resistance. ( 4 )

Antibiotics are used as prophylactics in aquaculture and agriculture; some of them are not biodegradable. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have emerged in these environments and have transferred their genes to bacteria in animals and humans. ( 5 )

Other human factors (age, nutrition, immune status, antibiotics used in variety and quantity) also influence dispersal.

The role of the pharmaceutical industry

In 2017, the WHO (World Health Organization) published a press release entitled “Stop the use of antibiotics in healthy animals to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance”. The scientific community agreed with farmers to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock citing the “ Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance ” adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2015 and the “ Declaration of the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance ” adopted in 2016.

These documents warn of a global health crisis that requires immediate action, citing “inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in the public health, animal, food, agriculture and aquaculture sectors” as the main causes of antimicrobial resistance.

But despite urgent requests from the global scientific community, pharmaceutical companies continue to promote their products. See the New York Times' denunciations of the Elanco company, which still encourages farmers to administer its brand of antibiotics to pigs and not wait for them to get sick in a campaign called "Pig Zero." ( 6 )

We're out of time

It is not about being alarmist, but a recent report from the United Nations warns:

“Antimicrobial resistance is a global crisis that threatens a century of progress in health and achievements in sustainable development. There is no time to wait. Unless the world acts urgently, antimicrobial resistance will have disastrous impacts within a generation.”

A United Nations resolution recognizes that:

“Because of antimicrobial resistance, there will be fewer options to protect those most vulnerable to deadly infections, especially women in labor, newborns, patients with certain chronic diseases or those undergoing chemotherapy or surgery.”

In Colombia, during 2018, the Ministry of Health developed a National Strategic Plan containing 5 main guidelines. ( 7 )

1. Effective communication, education and training to raise awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance.
2. Development of surveillance and research to strengthen the scientific basis and knowledge of antimicrobial resistance.
3. Sanitation, hygiene and prevention to reduce the incidence of infections.
4. Optimal use of antimicrobials in human health, animal health and phytosanitary control.
5. Formulating economic arguments for investment in interventions: new drugs, diagnostics, vaccines and others.

The only thing is that these strategic lines are established at an institutional level and ordinary people have no idea what is happening.

'Sentinel' microorganisms

The WHO has presented a report in which it compiles global data on resistance of a group of bacteria to their most advanced treatment. This means that, beyond that, they are starting to become difficult to treat. It has also included information on tuberculosis (also bacterial), HIV, influenza (viral), candidiasis (fungal) and malaria (parasite).

• Klebsiella pneumoniae . This bacterium lives in the digestive system of people. When it reaches other parts of the body, it is very dangerous. Premature babies, immunosuppressed people, or people with diabetes are especially vulnerable. The carbapenem-resistant variant is very dangerous. It can lead to an increase in mortality in those affected by up to 50%, according to the WHO. A higher level of risk is found in those resistant to cephalosporins. They require intravenous and very aggressive treatments. They occur, above all, in ICUs.
• Escherichia coli . Another bacterium that is found in the digestive system. It can cause serious infections (one variant was the famous case in Germany with several deaths that was mistakenly attributed to Spanish cucumbers). It causes diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and other more generalized infections. In the most serious cases (resistant to third-generation cephalosporins or fluoroquinolones) it requires aggressive intravenous treatment.
• Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common bacteria. It is found, for example, on the skin, so it can cause infections in wounds or in internal organs and tissues during surgery. It can also pass into the blood. The methicillin-resistant variant (one of the most powerful antibiotics), called MERS, was the terror of operating rooms and ICUs in the eighties, but has now been displaced by klebsiella.
• Salmonella . It is the leading cause of food poisoning in the world.
• Shigella . It is present in untreated drinking water and causes severe diarrhea.
• Neisseria gonorrhea . There is already a variant that does not respond to any of the known treatments.

What we can do from our homes to contain antimicrobial resistance

 

• Use antibiotics only when prescribed by your doctor.
• Complete the treatment prescribed by your doctor, even if you feel better now.
• Do not give leftover antibiotics from treatment to other people or reuse them.
• Remember that antibiotics should not be used to treat colds or flu.
• Try to incorporate foods with anti-fungal qualities into your diet. These include coconut oil, garlic, cider vinegar, lemon, strawberries and other berries, ginger, olive oil, cinnamon and cloves.
• Do organic cleansing and strengthen the immune system (you can find them in my book The Art of Healing: Living Food, the alternative to nourish and heal yourself in this time . )
• Follow a raw vegan diet as I propose in my book. By sticking to phase 1 of this diet for 3 months, you are not only eliminating toxins from your body, but also laying the foundation for an environment free of pathogenic bacteria that do not allow proper digestion and absorption of the nutrients provided by food.
• Wash your hands when you get home, after handling pets, before meals, after using the bathroom.
• Clean food carefully before preparing it.