Arya Sukumar, College of Agriculture, Vellayani
World Health Organization reports pneumonia as the most common cause of mortality among children across the world. Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes fluid and pus to fill in the air sacs, resulting in cough, fever, breathing difficulties, and other symptoms. In children experiencing pneumonia in Bangladesh, new research has discovered a unique pattern of lethal bacteria resistant to all routine antibiotic therapy.
Why is pre-teen pneumonia taken seriously?
According to the study conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) by collaborating with International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR) Bangladesh, the findings point to an impending pandemic of antibiotic resistance that can be deadly. Between 2014 and 2017, hundreds of children died of pneumonia despite getting the World Health Organization’s recommended medicines and respiratory assistance.This study published in the Journal ‘Open Forum Infectious Diseases, provides an early warning that an antibiotic resistance pandemic is underway and might spread throughout the world.
What is bacterial pneumonia and what are its symptoms?
The most frequent type of pneumonia is bacterial pneumonia. It is more dangerous than other types of pneumonia, with symptoms that necessitate medical attention. Bacterial pneumonia symptoms can appear gradually or unexpectedly. Fever can reach dangerously high temperatures of 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with copious perspiration and fast breathing and heart rate. Due to a shortage of oxygen in the blood, the lips and nails may appear blue. The mental condition of a patient may be confused or delirious.
Background and scope of the study:
Antibiotic resistance is frequent and often fatal among Bangladeshi children with pneumonia. The research was overseen by the senior scientist in the Nutrition and Clinical Services Division of the ICDDR Mohammod Jobayer Chisti, MD, Ph.D. He was motivated to undertake the study after noticing that the ICDDR-affiliated hospital was admitting an increasing number of young children with pneumonia. These children were resistant to routine antibiotic therapy. Pneumonia can be caused by viruses in little children, but bacteria are also a common source of illness. Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Haemophilus influenzae are the most frequent bacterial causes of pneumonia in the United States and other high-income nations and they typically respond well to antibiotic therapy.
Vaccines for the latter two have saved many lives throughout the world. Chisti and his colleagues discovered a completely distinct pattern of bacterial infection among the hospitalized children. Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas, E. coli, Salmonella, and Klebsiella, were responsible for 77 percent of the infections among the children. The study on a population of 163 million people, detected a larger spectrum of antibiotic resistance and the overall statistics were staggering. These gram-negative bacteria detected in these youngsters are known for being antibiotic-resistant. For example, in one research, 40% of the gram-negative bacterial infections resisted treatment with first- and second-line antibiotics commonly used to treat pneumonia. The study revealed that the mortality rate of children with antibiotic-resistant bacterial illnesses were 17 times higher than children who did not have bacterial infections.
The conceivable reason behind antibiotic resistance:
Generally, antibiotics are available without any prescription throughout the nation, and many individuals self-treat illnesses like dysentery, colds, coughs, and fevers with them. Antibiotic misuse encourages the proliferation of microorganisms that are resistant to the drugs. Lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation contributes to the growth of antibiotic-resistant germs. Through the improvement of the healthcare infrastructure and legislative measures, antibiotic abuse can be curbed. The Healthcare system of Bangladesh also needs improved access to more sophisticated antibiotic treatments for resistant infections. If healthcare actions aren’t done immediately, fatal antibiotic resistance will spread across the world. Visitors are very likely to acquire antibiotic resistance. When highly resistant bacteria emerge in one area of the world, they eventually emerge everywhere.
Conclusion:
World Health Organization has reported pneumonia as the most common cause of mortality among children across the world. In a study conducted on children experiencing pneumonia in Bangladesh a unique pattern of lethal bacteria resistant to all routine antibiotic therapy was found. Antibiotic misuse encourages the proliferation of microorganisms that are resistant to the drugs. Healthcare infrastructure must be improved and strict legislative measures are to be implemented to bring down antibiotic abuse. The Healthcare system of Bangladesh also needs improved access to more sophisticated antibiotic treatments for resistant infections. If COVID-19 is a tsunami, developing antibiotic resistance is a flood. And it’s Bangladeshi children who are already drowning.
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Reference:
- Chisti, M. J., Harris, J. B., Carroll, R. W., Shahunja, K. M., Shahid, A. S., Moschovis, P. P., Schenkel, S.R., Hasibur Rahman, A.S.M.M., Shahrin, L., Faruk, T. and Kabir, F. (2021). Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteremia in Young Children Hospitalized With Pneumonia in Bangladesh Is Associated With a High Mortality Rate. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 8(7):ofab260. doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofab260. https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/8/7/ofab260/6318030
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