Since its emergence, Covid-19 has tended to eclipse other infectious diseases. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria contributed to the deaths of several million people in 2019, according to a study published in The Lancet, the largest on this subject to date.
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[EN VIDÉO] What are the differences between bacteria and viruses? They are microbes. They are very small and they are quite easily confused. However, bacteria and viruses are two very different things. And to fight effectively against those that cause disease, it is better to identify them clearly.
In 2019, antibiotic resistant bacteria participated in the deaths of 4.95 million people around the world. Of these, 1.2 million died directly from infection with one of these pathogens. These disturbing figures are taken froma study published in The Lancet, the first to reveal the scourge of antibiotic resistance across the world. If we had the means to prevent infections by bacteria resistance, then 4.95 million lives would be saved. If these infections were caused by bacteria still susceptible to antibiotics, then 1.2 million lives would be saved.
Six germs implicated in three-quarters of deaths
The scourge spares no continent, but its weight is more or less heavy depending on the region. West sub-Saharan African countries are the most affected. There, 27.3 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants (all ages combined) are attributable to germs antibiotic resistant. While Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and generally New Guinea, is the region of the world where deaths due to antibiotic resistance are the lowest, 6.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants (all ages combined).
Most often, people infected with a resistant bacterium die from a lower respiratory, intra-abdominal, or bloodstream infection. These three syndromes Inflammatory diseases alone are responsible for 78.8% of deaths due to resistant bacteria in 2019. Three-quarters (73.4%) of deaths are due to just six pathogens. The Escherichia coli resisters are the deadliest, followed by Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The resistance of methicillin S. aureus is the most difficult to counter. It alone is responsible for 100,000 deaths in 2019. Moreover, it is the most lethal bacterium in developed countries, with E.coli, while poor countries must rather fight against S.pneumoniae and K. pneumoniae.
What solutions?
What solutions are available to curb this scourge? The study published in The Lancet offers several lines of thought. The creation of vaccine against these bacteria would reduce the use of antibiotics, for the moment only a vaccine against S.pneumoniae is available, as is limiting the prescription of antibiotics when they are not necessary to improve our state of health – in the case of a viral infection for example. While this study is intended to be the most comprehensive produced to date, it does contain some shortcomings. For 19 of the 204 countries and territories included, no data were available. The weight of antibiotic resistance in certain regions may therefore have been underestimated. The resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a major public health problem. Finding alternatives to get rid of it, while limiting the appearance of new resistance, is essential.
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