Date: August 6th, 2011
Source: Bangkok Post Website (www.bangkokpost.com)
Link: www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/250547/super-bacteria-crisis-on-way

Thailand is facing a health crisis from antimicrobial resistance which could lead to more complicated and higher costs in treating bacterial infections, health experts have warned.

The National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Centre monitored the situation at 28 hospitals nationwide during 2000-2010 and found worrying signs of antibiotic resistance among several bacteria strains.

An antimicrobial kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi or protozoans.

Carbapenems and Cefoperazone-Sulbactam are considered the antibiotics of last resort for many bacterial infections. However, Carbapenem resistance among Acinebacter baumannii, a superbug which causes hospital-acquired infections among in- and out-patients, rose dramatically from 1-2% in 2000 to 60-62% in 2010, according to the report.

The report on anti-microbial resistance in Thailand also identified up to 80% ampicillin resistance among the Escherichia coli bacterium, one of the most frequent causes of urinary tract infections and blood poisoning.

Penicillin and erythromycin resistance in children aged below five years was at 47% and 57%, respectively. 'Such data reflects the increasing problem of antimicrobial resistance,' the report says.

'The issue can become so severe that we may not be able to discover new antibiotics to keep pace with widespread drug resistance.'

Each antibiotic takes between 10 and 20 years of research and development to produce. However, bacterial resistance to an antibiotic can develop within just three or four years of use.

Rajesh Bhatia, World Health Organization Southeast Asia regional adviser on blood safety and laboratory technology, said only two new antibiotics _ Glycylcycline and Oxazolidinone _ had been developed in the last 10 years.

Antimicrobial resistance has a huge impact on health. It requires longer duration treatment as well as more expensive drugs. Inappropriate prescriptions, poor compliance among patients, lack of access to essential antimicrobials and antibiotic use in animals all lead to resistance in humans, he said.