What if I told you staphylococcus aureus, a gram positive bacteria, was living on your skin right now? This common bacteria is found on the nose or the skin of 25-30% of a healthy population at any given time. Although not usually harmful, this bacteria can cause infection by simply breaking through the skin or penetrating our mucous membranes. Staphylococcus aureus is the bacteria responsible for the dreaded years of the pimple pizza face; and although this bacteria shares a commensal relationship with us, we definitely were not friends in high school. Although infection from staphylococcus is generally mild, some forms of the infection can cause serious infection.
In recent decades, an antibiotic resistant form of staph has emerged. The name is MRSA and it has us begging for mercy. Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccous Aureus is so stubborn that it is resistant against an entire class of antibiotics known as beta-lactams which target the cell wall of the bacteria causing the cell to burst and die (sounds like a painful death).
Although this bacteria has acquired a resistance strong enough to fight even broad spectrum antibiotics, scientists have discovered an entirely new class of antibiotics within the soil samples that has been successful at combating MRSA. This compound called malacidin gives hope to the fight against antimicrobial resistance as the ability of bacteria to become immune to treatment is a great threat to humanity. The discovery of this antimicrobial in soil is very promising to scientists as technological advances allow for rapid recombination of DNA from various organisms found within the soil that are hard to grow within a petri dish. Soil is a great place to look for new antibiotics since in this environment bacteria compete with each other for nutrients and resources and use various techniques to kill their opponents.
Another source of antibacterial resistance stems from a gram negative enterobacteria. In comparison to gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria have an outer membrane that gives them extra protection against compounds such as antibiotics. Specifically, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), a family of gut bacteria that become resistant to carbapenem, an antibiotic that targets both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. Immunocompromised individuals are the most susceptible to infection by this category of bacteria, especially those patients who require ventilators in hospital settings. In an Indian hospital, a hypervirulent strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae was identified. This was the first report of this hypervirulent form of this infectious organism and poses a HUGE threat to public health.
Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem all over the world. As antibiotics are misused, resistance continues to increase– a scary a idea to think that bacteria may outsmart its human counterpart. We must fight the resistance.
Who will win?
MCRO 251 