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Fatal Superbugs: Antibiotics Losing Effectiveness, WHO says.
The World Health Organization’s new report on the growing global threat adds to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report last year showing that two million people ∈ the United States are infected annually with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and 23,000 of them die each year as a result. To understand the dangers posed by superbugs, National Geographic spoke with Stuart Levy, chair of the board of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics at Tufts University School of Medicine ∈Boston.
What exactly are superbugs?
They are bacteria resistant to one or more antibiotics, and they make it difficult to treat or cure infections that once were easily treated. The antibiotic has lost its ability to control or kill bacterial growth. The bacteria can grow even ∈a sea of antibiotics because the antibiotic doesn’t touch them.
How are the bacteria able to circumvent the power of antibiotics?
The bacteria have acquired the ability to destroy the antibiotic ∈ order to protect themselves. They’ve developed a gene for resistance to, say, penicillin, and that gene protects them. A genetic mutation might enable a bacteria to produce enzymes that inactivate antibiotics. Or [a mutation] might eliminate the target that the antibiotic is supposed to attack. A bacteria may have developed resistance to five or six antibiotics, so ∈ treatment, you don’t know which one to choose. And the bacteria accumulate resistance by developing new genes. Genetics is working against us, almost like a science-fiction story.
Why are these superbugs spreading and the threat growing?
We’re continuing to use antibiotics ∈a bad way. They’re supposed to be used to combat bacteria, not viruses. The common cold is a virus. Any time you use an antibiotic when it’s not needed, you’re pushing antibiotic resistance ahead. People are misusing them ∈ their homes. They may have a stockpile they’ve saved, and think taking [an antibiotic] will help them with a cold. They’re not helping their cold, and they’re propagating resistance.
(Adaptado de: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140501-superbugs-antibiotics-resistance-disease-medicine/. Acesso em: 1 maio 2014.)
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