What is needed to prevent COVID-19 from causing antibacterial resistance problems?

Medical professionals have spent most of the last two years discovering ways to treat COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Treatment of such viruses can be difficult because, unlike bacterial infections, antibiotics do not affect the virus.

Various antibiotic treatments may not prevent or treat COVID-19, but as a placebo to calm panicked nerves and how to treat co-existing bacterial infections that make patient recovery even more difficult. As often used. The problem with heavy use of antibiotics is that they can cause even greater problems, which is one of antibiotic resistance.

What is needed to prevent COVID-19 and treatments adjacent to COVID from causing antimicrobial resistance problems?

Bacterial comorbidity

The COVID-19 treatment approach has been unique over the last two years in that healthcare professionals have spent a lot of time improvising learning how to treat this new virus without previous experience. According to one study, when the pandemic began, More than half Of the COVID-19 patients in the hospital, antibiotics were given to treat multiple bacterial infections, and almost all were treated before the bacterial infection was confirmed.

In a similar study, 70% of patients received antibiotics Or antibacterial treatment, but less than 10% of them have confirmed bacterial or fungal infections. Although some patients treated with COVID-19 have cases of bacterial co-infection, most patients treated with antibiotics should be careful to prevent co-infection during treatment. I paid and prescribed them.

Antibacterial resistance threat

Health professionals have witnessed this in a variety of situations. Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection of the lungs, was often fatal before the introduction of antibiotics. Previously, he responded quickly to treatment.Now, if the patient does not finish all of the prescribed antibiotics, the infection You can go back stronger, Now resistant to treatment and often fatal.A similar case was seen with MRSA — methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus — This is prevalent in hospitals One of the two most common Nosocomial infection.

These are just two common examples. The higher the amount of antibiotics used, the more common these cases are, especially in the absence of a bacterial infection to treat.

research Decomposes antibiotic-resistant bacteria They fall into four categories, depending on how they affect the antibiotics used for treatment.

●● Limit drug intake

●● Change drug discovery target

●● Inactivates the drug

●● Outflow of active ingredient

Prevention of COVID-related antibacterial resistance

As the world approaches the end of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on. New variants are emerging, and the following are becoming more and more apparent: This virus can lead to endemic disease Like the flu virus. Despite nearly two years of treatment experience, many countries recommend antibiotic therapy or even prophylaxis for COVID-19 patients, but there is no good reason to do so. This widespread and often indiscriminate use of antibiotics sets the stage for antibacterial resistance.

The best tool to prevent cases of antibiotic resistance associated with COVID is to create a standardized treatment plan that can be used worldwide. Patients may acquire a double infection of bacteria during the course of treatment, but that does not justify the preemptive treatment of all with antibiotics. Confirmation of bacterial infectionBefore prescribing antibiotics, you need something like bacterial pneumonia, which is commonly seen with COVID-19.

Improved diagnosis may help prevent antibiotic resistance problems by speeding up the treatment timeline. Traditionally, bacterial infectious diseases May take 48-72 hours To view the results — or longer for some organisms. A way to detect and identify bacterial infections more quickly is one of the prophylactic “just in case” antibiotic treatments, while ensuring that people with multiple bacterial infections have the necessary antibiotics in a timely manner. Helps prevent the part.

It is also important to utilize antibacterial treatments that affect the area of ​​interest. For example, vancomycin is a frequently prescribed antibiotic, but it targets bacteria in the intestines only when taken orally.Ann Accurate AUC_{twenty four} Calculation Even after a confirmed bacterial infection, it is essential to ensure that the patient is flooded with antibiotics and is receiving the necessary treatment without causing more problems than can be resolved.

Studies show Less than 10% The proportion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients treated with antibiotics showed bacterial co-infection. The use of this widespread antibiotic is the type that the industry should avoid to prevent the creation of another antibacterial resistant superbug.

Looking to the future

COVID-19 doesn’t go anywhere right away, but extensive treatment of viral infections with antibiotics is not going to speed it up. Instead, it can potentially trigger a series of events that could knock back modern medicine into the dark ages.It is estimated that if nothing is done, drug-resistant infections can occur. It kills 10 million people a year By 2050.

Changes should be implemented as soon as possible to prevent the development of COVID-related antimicrobial resistance. On paper, it sounds simple. Stop aggressive prescription of antibiotics until a co-infection of bacteria is confirmed. It is much more difficult to move these changes from proposals to reality on a global scale.