Superbugs!

….Its not what you think. Unfortunately, superbugs aren’t some cute little superhero “bug”. They’re actually a big problem! The Medical News Today defines superbugs as bacteria or fungi that have become resistant to multiple drugs that once effectively treated infection. These superbugs are becoming resistant to both antibiotics and disinfectants making hospitals a huge source of these stubborn pathogens.

Bacterial antibiotic resistance is a natural process, some might characterize it as ‘survival of the fittest’. A small portion of bacteria may have a genetic advantage to survive antibiotics. These resistant bacteria can then multiple and further the process. There are several things, however, that we are doing to make this process exponentially faster and more dangerous. A basic practice to help eliminate the spread of superbugs is to prevent infection to begin with, practicing good hand hygiene is a great place to start. Preventing antibiotic resistance can be accomplished by three solid practices: using antibiotics ONLY when necessary, using the SHORTEST effective treatment, and NOT taking antibiotics for viral infections (aka don’t take whatever is leftover in your medicine cabinet next time you get a common cold).

The Science Daily offers a new cutting edge approach to tackling these superbugs. Thank goodness! With antibiotic resistance growing and becoming a rapid issue, the science community is racing against the clock to develop new treatments. Their new antibiotic-free approach is aimed to treat Helicobacter pylori, an organism that is considered a “priority pathogen” because of the great threat it poses to global populations. Helicobacter pylori attaches to the stomach lining and causes ulcers, if not treated, it often leads to gastric cancer. This new treatment uses nanocapsules to prevent the bacteria from infecting the stomach lining. These nanocapsules contain natural substances like curcumin (found in tumeric) for their anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. The capsules are coated with lysozyme so they are not degraded by stomach acid. This new treatment is very promising and hopefully it will be able to lessen the need for antibiotics and we can stop the spread of superbugs!