Resistant bacteria advance faster than antibiotics

spread Difficult-to-treat bacterial diseases represent a growing threat, according to the World Health Organization’s Global Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring Report. the a report It reveals that between 2018 and 2023, Antibiotic resistance These drugs have increased by more than 40 percent in disease-causing drug groups, with an average annual increase of between 5 and 15 percent.

According to data reported by more than 100 countries to the World Health Organization’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Utilization Surveillance System (GLASS), one in six laboratory-confirmed bacteria in 2023 tested positive for Resistant to antibiotic treatmentAll of them relate to various common diseases around the world.

Superbugs

for the first time, This edition of the report Includes estimates of the prevalence of resistance to 22 antibiotics used to treat urinary tract, gastrointestinal, bloodstream, and gonorrhea diseases. The analysis focused on eight common pathogens: Stagnant spp, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Non-typhoidal Salmonella, Shigella spp, Staphylococcus aureusand Streptococcus pneumoniae.

The results showed that resistant Gram-negative bacteria pose the greatest threat. It should be especially noted Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniaeIt is associated with bloodstream infections that can lead to sepsis, organ failure and death. “More than 40 percent of Escherichia coli And more than 55 percent of your. pneumonia The report warns that strains around the world are now becoming resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the first choice of treatment for these types of infections.

These microorganisms join Salmonella and Stagnantwhich also develop resistance to essential drugs such as carbapenems and fluoroquinolones. This reduces therapeutic alternatives and forces the use of antibiotics as a last resort, which are often expensive and difficult to obtain, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Medicine is lagging behind

“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families around the world,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “We must use antibiotics responsibly, and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics and vaccines.”

Improving monitoring systems and obtaining accurate data is an urgent task. Although progress has been made, it is still insufficient. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of countries participating in the Global Shock Resilience Surveillance System (GLASS) will quadruple from 25 to 104. However, 48 percent did not report data in 2023, and nearly half of the countries reporting lacked sufficient infrastructure to generate reliable data.

The World Health Organization warns that tackling this problem should be a priority in regions such as Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, where one in three reported infections is resistant, as well as in Africa, where one in five has the same condition.