Resistant bacteria

A hundred years ago, bacterial diseases were among the most common causes of death in the world. Many died from tuberculosis, cholera, or pneumonia. A simple wound could be deadly if infected by bacteria. And surgery often failed, because the patient got bacteria into the operation scar, and died. In the year 1928, something important happened.

The scientist Alexander Fleming cultivated bacteria in bowls, and accidentally got mould in one of them. He became very surprised when he saw the bacteria die. It turned out, the mould produces a substance poisonous to bacteria. Fleming's discovery made it possible to develop penicillin. After penicillin, scientists have developed several other medications that overpower bacteria.

These medications are called antibiotics, and they have saved the lives of millions. But antibiotics have also been used for other purposes than treating people's illnesses. Antibiotics have been given to patients with illnesses similar to bacterial diseases, but which in fact, are not. Ordinary colds are caused by viruses. In this case, antibiotics are completely unnecessary, since they don't affect viruses at all.

Antibiotics have also been given to sick animals -- ... and to healthy animals. This has been a way for livestock farmers to produce cheaper meat. Animals eating antibiotics grow faster. In short, humans have squandered away antibiotics in the world.

Sometimes, this is literally what we've done. Squandered, that is. Factories producing medicine have poured out medicine into nature, like waste. So what difference does it all make? The problem is that antibiotics cease to function.

More and more bacteria resist the medicine. This is antibiotics resistance. Here's how it works. Just like you, bacteria have genes, that control their functions. In some of them, there are genes which give the bacteria the ability to resist certain kinds of antibiotics: resistance genes.

As long as the bacterium with the resistance genes does not cross paths with antibiotics, these genes don't matter. The bacterium competes with other bacteria, and all of them have the same chance of reproduction. But if the bacterium with the resistance genes is around when antibiotics are used, it's a different story. Suddenly, it has vast advantage. The other bacteria die from the antibiotics.

All that's left is the resistant one, which gets all the nutrients and space for itself. It reproduces, and becomes many more... and more -- and more -- All the new bacteria inherit the resistant genes. All of them resist antibiotics. That's how strange it is.

The more antibiotics we use, the more opportunities a resistant bacterium gets. More antibiotics means more antibiotics resistance. And since penicillin was invented, we have used loads of antibiotics. Some bacteria seem to resist all sorts of antibiotics. This makes them very dangerous.

Today around 700,000 people die each year because of antibiotics resistance. If this development continues for another couple of decades, bacteria will yet again become one of the world's most common causes of death. We can't get rid of the resistance that is already around. But there are things to do to slow down the development, so that the resistance doesn't spread as fast. This gives scientists more time to develop new medicines.

No antibiotics to healthy animals. No waste of antibiotics from factories. Doctors must give antibiotics in relevant doses, and to the right patients. And health care workers must keep things clean, to stop bacterial diseases from spreading within the healthcare system. You too can avoid spreading illnesses.

For instance by washing your hands well when you've been to the toilet, or when you're about to cook. For certain bacteria, there are vaccines. The more that are vaccinated, the fewer get ill and need antibiotics. This way we can win some time, so that doctors and researchers can develop new medicines and treatments. Then we can fight dangerous bacteria in the future too.