Antibiotic resistance awareness between public, antibiotics dispensing and prescribing patterns in Najaf, Iraq
Mustafa Al Mosawi1, Ali Albakaa1, Haydar Alameen1, Hussein Fakhereldeen1 Yousif Naji2, Zaid Hayder Alathari1 & Ali Al-Behadili3
From 1 Faculty of Medicine , University of Kufa, Najaf , Iraq, 2 Al-Kindy College of Medicine, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq, 3 The Sahlgrenska Academy , University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
Introduction
Antibiotics are considered one of the most important discoveries in the last century. When antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, some of bacteria can respond by becoming resistant to the antibiotic used. This response is a natural phenomenon for survival by bacteria. Therefore, antibiotics can become less effective. Many patients worldwide suffer harm due to antibiotic resistance because bacterial infections are not susceptible any more to treatment (1).
There is inadequate information about the mechanisms, conditions, and factors that lead to mobilization, selection and movement of resistant bacteria or resistant genes into and between animal and human populations (2).
No country can be isolated from this global problem even countries with preventive programs and policies (3). Antibiotic resistance is thus a global public health challenge of paramount importance (1, 4). The evolution of antibiotic resistance threatens the success of medical interventions at all levels of health care (1, 3, and 4).
There is ecological evidence as well as evidence at the individual patient level (5) from western world that the prevalence of resistance is positively correlated with prescription of antibiotics (6). Therefore improving prescribing practices can prevent further increase in anti...
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... living in Najaf. 71% (250/350 persons) participated. 117 of participants were women (47%) and the rest were men. Majority of participants (45%) aged between 20-25 years. 150 persons thought that antibiotics can treat cold and flu, while 62 persons agreed that irrational use of antibiotics is correlated with antibiotic resistance ( Table I ).
Study II: Private pharmacies dispensing patterns
Majority of private pharmacies (73%) had prescribed different kinds of antibiotics such tetracycline and streptomycin for adults posed as they had acute diarrhea. However, antibiotics dispensing was relatively low for simulated fever clients compared to acute diarrhea group (table II).
Study III: Prescribing patterns for outpatient in clinics of two hospitals
A total 2563 forms were included in this study; of these 1550 forms were conducted in outpatient clinics of Alsadr teaching
Many countries in Europe collect data on the locations of antimicrobial resistance occurrences, the number of incidences , who uses antibiotics, and the health practitioners who may overusing the antibiotics so as to address the problem of anti-microbial resistance.
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According to USA Today, U.S. doctors are prescribing enough antibiotics to give to 4 out of 5 Americans every year, an alarming pace that suggests they are being excruciatingly overused. In fact, Dr. Aunna Pourang from MD states, “to give you an idea of how high the pressure is to prescribe antibiotics, I didn’t get a job once because during the interview I told the lead physician that I only prescribe antibiotic prescriptions when they are warranted.” The development and widespread obsession of antibiotics, or drugs that kill bacteria and thereby reduce infection, has helped billions of people live longer, healthier lives. Unfortunately, the more we rely on and abuse antibiotics, the more bacteria develop resistance to them, which makes treating infections that much more challenging and leads to the growth of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Research from the Center of Disease Control found that two million people in the United States become infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria, while 23,000 people die from such infections each year. Americans often aren’t informed on the power of the human body and rush to assumptions when perfection isn’t present. In a nutshell, the obsession of antibiotics is quite deadly and needs to be addressed before it’s too
... However, regulations have been formed regarding the importation of food products and live animals, other organisms which carry bacteria. In a world governed by international relations, travel is a large part of today’s society. The leisure and significance of world travel is unlikely to depreciate. Therefore, local communities must take action regarding antibiotic resistance, whether they are awareness programs or state and nationally regulated laws.
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has presented many problems in our society, including an increased chance of fatality due to infections that could have otherwise been treated with success. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, but overexposure to these drugs give the bacteria more opportunities to mutate, forming resistant strains. Through natural selection, those few mutated bacteria are able to survive treatments of antibiotics and then pass on their genes to other bacterial cells through lateral gene transfer (Zhaxybayeva, 2011). Once resistance builds in one patient, it is possible for the strain to be transmitted to others through improper hygiene and failure to isolate patients in hospitals.
In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.
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Resistance first appears in a population of bacteria through conditions that favor its selection. When an antibiotic attacks a group of bacteria, cells that are highly susceptible to the medicine will die. On the other hand, cells that have some resistance from the start or acquire it later may survive. At the same time, when antibiotics attack disease-causing bacteria, they also attack benign bacteria. This process eliminates drug-susceptible bacteria and favors bacteria that are resistant. Two things happen, populations of non-resistant and harmless bacteria are diminished, and because of the reduction of competition from these harmless and/or susceptible bacteria, resistant forms of disease-causing bacteria proliferate. As the resistant forms of the bacteria proliferate, there is more opportunity for genetic or chromosomal mutation (spontaneous DNA mutation (1)) or transformation, that comes about either through a form of microbial sex (1) or through the transference of plasmids, small circles of DNA (1), which allow bacteria to interchange genes with ease. Sometimes genes can also be t...
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Medical science and pharmaceutical researchers need to vigorously investigate the many factors contributing to the decline in antibiotic efficacy which will then empower them to research and develop a new generation of antibiotic therapies. Aligned with this is the responsibility of each individual to manage their health and expectations with regard to treatment. For example, individuals could adopt better ways of maintaining their immune systems by means of a healthy diet and exercise.
Exposure to antimicrobials fundamentally alters microbial ecosystems of humans, animals and the environment, which may lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance.
discusses how infection control interventions can be examined as they pertain to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. He states that there are only a few studies focusing on how antimicrobial resistant strategies could potentially affect the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which is not enough to create a protocol that all healthcare facilities across the country should follow. He created his own study focusing on the strains of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, bacteria that cause bloodstream and/or pulmonary infection that can be life-threatening (p. 382). Buford et al. compares the differences between conventional techniques and molecular techniques in diagnosing multidrug-resistant infections. His study proved that when the strain of bacteria was correctly identified, the patient was isolated, standard precautions used, and the use of an effective antibiotic all helped to decrease the resistance rates in facilities (p.
The most effective way to combat pathogenic bacteria which invade the body is the use of antibiotics. Overexposure to antibiotics can easily lead to resistant strains of bacteria. Resistance is dangerous because bacteria can easily spread from person to person. Simple methods for preventing excessive bacterial spread are often overlooked. Not all preventative measures are even adequate. Doctors and patients often use antibiotics unnecessarily or incorrectly, leading to greater resistance. Antibiotics are used heavily in livestock and this excessive antibiotic use can create resistant bacteria and transfer them to humans. In order to reduce resistant bacteria,
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