Attack of the Superbug

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Article Date: 08 May 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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A report this week indicated that hospital-acquired infection rates have worsened in the United States during the last several years, including antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Along with a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that more than 70 percent of the bacteria that cause infections are resistant to at least one antibiotic used to treat them, a USC pharmacist advises being more selective in using these drugs.

Harmful bacteria are mutating faster and becoming resistant to numerous antibiotics. As a result, some of these bacteria are surviving the drug's attack and may in fact grow stronger, lending credence to the fear of a "superbug," says Annie Wong-Beringer, Pharm.D., associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the USC School of Pharmacy.

The consequences of antibiotic resistance include the need for more toxic medications, an increase in the duration of illness, risk of medical and surgical complications and even death.

"There is a relative lack of new classes of antibiotics in the drug development pipeline, considering the ever-increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria," says Wong-Beringer. "It's scary to think about a 'superbug' that could be resistant to every antibiotic we have available, which is a definite possibility."

Part of the challenge in developing new drugs comes from the overuse of antibiotics. Bacteria and viruses cause disease differently; antibiotics that work against bacterial infections, such as strep throat, do not work against viruses, such as those that cause colds. Moreover, antibiotic misuse against a virus is potentially dangerous, says Wong-Beringer, since beneficial bacteria may be killed, opening the door for harmful bacteria to establish themselves in their place.

Experts estimate that physicians in the U.S. write 50 million antibiotic prescriptions a year to treat disease actually caused by viruses. Part of the reason may be patients' or caregivers' expectations. Pediatricians prescribe antibiotics 65 percent of the time if they sense that parents expect them but only 12 percent of the time if they sense parents do not expect them, according to a CDC study.

"Physicians and patients equally contribute to this problem," says Wong-Beringer. "Studies show that patients often demand antibiotics, regardless of their illness. Or patients are appropriately prescribed antibiotics for bacterial infections but do not finish their course of treatment, which doesn't kill all of the bugs."

She advises physicians and patients to be vigilant about antibiotic use and treat infections as specifically as possible. "Overuse will encourage bacteria to mutate and become resistant to potentially all existing antibiotics, which will endanger the health and lives of the public."

Sarah Huoh
Media Relations Representative
USC Health Sciences
Phone: (323) 442-2830
Pager: (213) 203-0485
shuoh@usc.edu
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