Skip to main content

Featured post

POSTPARTUM BLEEDING (LOCHIA): WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

The 'Post-partum' period is the  period after child delivery when the mother's body is trying to heal from and get back to functioning as it used to before conception. The postpartum period begins soon after the delivery of the baby and usually lasts six to eight weeks and ends when the mother's body has nearly returned to its pre-pregnant state.  Post partum bleeding and effects are a common concern among new mothers. Many wonder what is considered normal bleeding post-childbirth.  This article will answer your questions regarding post-childbirth bleeding and help you determine whether or not you should be concerned with your own bleeding. Photo credit: mamahippie.com Postpartum bleeding symptoms are those of heavy menstrual period which are considered alarming signs by many women. Women who give birth at this stage, experience heavy blood flow. This bleeding requires careful management to avoid future problems. Do u know that u need rest in the postpartum, but so many...
Post a Comment

PHAGE THERAPY; A RENEWED APPROACH TO COMBAT ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

PHAGE THERAPY; A RENEWED APPROACH TO COMBAT ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE


Antimicrobial resistance as discussed in earlier write-ups is the situation where bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.


Picture of a bacteriophage attaching to bacteria cell.


As a subset; Antibiotic resistance refers to bacteria resisting antibiotics. 


Penicillin, the wonder drug of the early nineties (developed from P. rubens in 1928 by Alexander Fleming), quickly earned worldwide applause following its use in treating infections from injuries sustained in battle during the second world war.


It was said that infections had killed more soldiers at war than battle injuries. The discovery of penicillin decreased the death rate from bacterial pneumonia in soldiers from 18% to 1%. 


Then over the years–and of course–people turned to this 'miracle drug' as a sure cure to any symptom or disease without first consulting with their doctor or being sure of which infections they were treating. They just 'did it'–after all the symptoms they experienced subsided and they got better.


With the new trend gaining popularity, it should not come as a surprise that in 1945, Alexander Fleming in an interview with The New York Times, warned that misuse of the drug could result in selection for resistant bacteria. 


Guess he wasn't wrong after all, as a comprehensive analysis of the global impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) conducted by The new Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) estimates resistance itself caused 1.27 million deaths in 2019 - more deaths than HIV/AIDS or malaria - and that antimicrobial-resistant infection played a role in 4.95 million deaths.


And even more worrisome–yet still– is the existence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is a group of Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of Staphylococcus aureus.


And let's not forget that since the failure of the parent molecule–penicillin–owing to antimicrobial resistance, several other synthetic/semisynthetic 'versions' have been developed including methicillin.


MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It caused more than 100,000 deaths attributable to antimicrobial resistance in 2019. Eventually, the dependence on methicillin has been largely shifted to vancomycin.


And the dependence keeps shifting from one medication to another to date.



WAY FORWARD; PHAGE THERAPY?


Bacteriophages or simply "phages" are viruses that specifically infect bacteria cells and destroy them.



Phage therapy is the use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections. This could be used as an alternative to antibiotics when bacteria develop resistance. Phage therapy is applied in experimental and emergency cases–often as a last resort.


PHAGE THERAPY VS ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY.


In a study involving patients who were resistant to antibiotics, Intravenous viruses were used to target deadly bacteria and the results were a total reversal of life-threatening S. aureus and K. pneumonia infection.


John Haverty of Brownsville , was ready to have his leg amputated following 17 surgeries that failed to rid his leg of a stubborn infection–until phage therapy came through for him and he made full recovery.


According to the NCBI, phage therapy has been reported to be effective in treating staphylococcal lung infections, P. aeruginosa infections in cystic fibrosis patients, eye infections, neonatal sepsis, urinary tract infections, and surgical wound infections. 


One thing is clear–the effectiveness of antibiotics is waning and it's as if a new 'wonder drug' is needed to fill up the vacuum.


But then again– won't humans abuse phages the way they abuse antibiotics?



Would we keep losing countless lives to non-compliance with doctors' instructions and drug misuse?


Do we need to continue this way?


Although we have a sort of a "second chance" through the advent of phage therapy, it is pertinent we give up the habit of drug misuse and abuse and we might just have returned to the right track!


©️ PUBLIC HEALTH ORBITAL

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE(PUD): MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT

PEPTIC ULCER DISEASE(PUD): MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT Read till end❗ It is important we understand that ulcer is indeed curable and symptoms can be managed effectively for better outcomes.   Signs and symptoms of PUD For quick recovery, these few steps should be adhered to by all suffering from peptic ulcer disease; 1.Consume food at regular intervals, in general, take small meals every 3 hours. Since presence of food in the GIT stimulates acid production which could errode existing ulcers, it is best to take small portions at intervals to reduce acid corrosion at wound sites. 2.Take meal 2 to 3 hours before bed time. This is because lying down immediately after a meal could result in acid reflux, causing heartburns and exacerbate oesophageal ulcers. 3.Eat food slowly and chew it properly. Take fresh fruits, salads and vegetables in adequate quantities. 4.Avoid intake of spicy and sour food like pepper soups, pepper sauces and chillis 5.Cut down intake of coffee, tea and other caffei...
Post a Comment
Read more

LUPUS:AN AUTO- IMMUNE DISEASE

 Autoimmune diseases are those in which the body , for unknown reasons begin to fight itself and lead to major health consequences such as muscular and CNS degeneration, internal bleeding, severe damage to body tissue, abnormal growth that affects organs, and changes in the way body organs function e.t.c. Coined from the words "Auto" and "immune" it stresses that the condition generates internally–for unknown reasons–abd harms it's own system. Think about a snake swallowing its own self from the tail end! Some common autoimmune diseases include; Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroiditis,Celiac disease,Type 1 diabetes mellitus,Graves' disease,Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOUS  Systemic lupus erythematous is one of such auto immune diseases. It is a group of autoimmune disease with an unknown cause. It affects many organs, especially skin, joints and kidneys. Lupus results in the immune system attacking the body's cells and tissues...
Post a Comment
Read more

ANTIMICROBIAL ABUSE IN LIVESTOCK FARMING

What problem could one encounter while consuming livestock? First, antibiotics are used to prevent,treat and control bacterial infections in livestock. Just like humans, animals can contract infections, such as pneumonia. As a case study,Pork is the world's second most consumed meat, accounting for roughly 35% of total meat consumption. China, the United States, and the European Union are the world's largest pork producers, accounting for roughly 80% of total pork production. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that pork had significantly higher levels of antibiotics than chicken, beef, and lamb. https://bringsconserve.com/qp970858?key=0b6d33fbbd24ee17ba922b2bfaf034ef  Antibiotics are used in the breeding process primarily because they reduce disease and mortality in pigs while also rapidly increasing pig weight. In the United States, roughly 27.1 percent of Medically important antibiotics are used in the pig industry, and...
Post a Comment
Read more