Superbugs: What are they and how are they treated?

Australian health officials are again on alert following infections by an antibiotic-resistant superbug known as KPC.

Antibiotics, once heralded as a miracle of modern medicine, have become so over-used most are no longer effective.

The result is the rise of the superbug.

What is a superbug?

Bacteria are everywhere and mostly they are harmless. In fact, quite often they are helpful, but sometimes they cause illness.

They are responsible for minor skin or ear infections and for more serious and potentially deadly illnesses such as meningitis or pneumonia.

Bacterial infections are most often treated with a course of antibiotics.

Multi-resistant superbugs are a strain of bacteria that has mutated (changed) after coming into contact with an antibiotic.

The bacteria then becomes resistant to the antibiotic which means the antibiotic cannot kill the bacteria or stop them from multiplying.

The result is that the bacteria continues to multiply, making the patient sicker as treatment options fade.

How does it happen?

Antibiotic overuse is a major cause of antibiotic resistance, as is incorrectly taking antibiotics you have been prescribed.

And according to the Minister for Health, Sussan Ley, Australia has one of the highest rates of antibiotic use in the world.

In 2013, more than 29 million prescriptions were supplied to 45 per cent of Australians.

But it's not just humans who are being dosed. Agricultural antibiotic use is also a contributing factor, with the human consumption of antibiotic-treated chicken and livestock further increasing resistance.

Should we be worried?

The World Health Organisation has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to human health today.

Around the world, there are millions of infections caused by superbugs every year.

Without antibiotics, people of all ages will die from sepsis (bloodstream infections), diarrhoea, urinary tract infections and pneumonia while our health system struggles to deal with their care.

In Australia, 170 people per week die from bacterial sepsis said Professor Matt Cooper, director of theUniversity of Queensland's Centre for Superbug Solutions.

He and his team are developing technology which will help quickly identify bacteria, enabling practitioners to effectively treat infection with the correct antibiotic.

"Giving the wrong antibiotic to a patient can make things worse and encourage resistance," Professor Cooper said.

"By giving the right drug the first time, the patient will get better sooner and there is less use of antibiotics."

How many superbugs are there?

According to a 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report the US is under threat from 14 superbugs posing an "urgent" or "serious" threat, and three causing "concern".

What is the solution?

The most simple and obvious way is to prevent the transmission of bacteria in the first instance through better hygiene, clean water, a tightening of infection control practices within healthcare facilities and vaccination.

In addition, Professor Cooper is urging more research of new antibiotics and the development of diagnostic tools.

He said Australia is yet to make superbugs a priority, with only 0.6 per cent of the research budget spent on superbugs.

In comparison, Europe and the US are spending huge amounts to tackle the problem.

The Federal Government released the first National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy this year, outlining recommendations to deal with superbugs.

"It's an excellent document which has set a clear agenda for tackling the problem," Professor Cooper said.

"But [superbugs] are an urgent threat and we don't want to wait another 10 years before the policy is enacted."

One solution lauded by Professor Cooper is mandatory reporting.

Australia does not currently have a policy or surveillance system for reporting superbugs, he said.

But the introduction of mandatory reporting overseas has made a huge difference in the levels of infection, making healthcare providers accountable.

"It would be relatively cheap to implement in Australia and it would save lives and save the government millions of dollars," Professor Cooper said.

"We need to be proactive rather than reactive."

This post originally appeared on the ABC and was republished here with full permission. 

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