Scientists have discovered that enzymes found in the stems and roots of pineapple may help win the battle against drug-resistant super bugs. These findings are a result of increasing efforts by medical research to find alternative treatments to antibiotic-resistant drugs.
Australian scientists made the discovery when they used these enzymes to cure diarrhea in piglets. These enzymes are known as bromelain and were first discovered in the 1930s. However, their antibiotic properties were only discovered thirty years ago.
The scientist’s piglet study findings are positive as humans and pigs are quite similar in terms of anatomy and physiology. Professor Rob Pike is a biochemist from LaTrobe University and lead author of the study. He says that the positive results in the piglets show that the enzymes should work in humans as well.
An Exciting Breakthrough In Treating Antibiotic Resistance
We can use these enzymes as an alternative to antibiotics because antibiotics target bacteria whereas these enzymes take affect in the gut. This makes it difficult for the bacteria to stick to the cells along the gut.
Targeting the piglets gut cells killed the bacteria’s chance to evolve, as a result diarrhea didn’t occur. Scientists believe, based on the study, that this will happen in humans as well.
Researchers see this latest study as an extra weapon in the battle against bacteria in humans. Pike, along with his colleagues, is now working on an alternative treatment to antibiotics based on these findings.
Antibiotic Drug Resistance
Antibiotics once revolutionised medicine. They became the bedrock for the 20th century’s most important medical breakthroughs. Doctors used them to transform the processes of giving birth and receiving essential surgery. However, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) now poses a threat by directly attacking its piece de resistance.
Jim O’Neill is the chairman of The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. He says: “There could be profound health and macroeconomic consequences for the world, especially in emerging economies, if antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not tackled.”
Scientists note that AMR has been steadily on the rise for the last decade. They have reported that bacteria and other pathogens are constantly adapting to the antibiotics we use to combat them, rendering them ineffective. We are aware that, resistance has increased rapidly in recent years, as our medical industry battles to keep up with the pace of adaptation.
Scientists have voiced concerns that the rate of discovery and manufacture of new antibiotics with the capability to cull the resistant strains of bacteria is too slow. They report that this is, in part, because the number of novel antibiotics left are limited, but mostly due to a lack of funding and industry interest.
Our Increased Use of Antibiotics
The difficulty caused by the lack of new antibiotic development is fueled by our increased use of current antibiotics, as this allows a larger variety of bacteria to become exposed, and therefore resistant, to the medicine circulating the market at present.
Jim O’Neill adds that, “Global consumption of antibiotics in human medicine rose by nearly 40% between 2000 and 2010. The BRIC countries plus South Africa accounted for three quarters of this growth.”
The main reasons why the use of antibiotics has increased are:
- In many areas antibiotics are available over the counter or without prescription, leading to overuse and misuse.
- Prescribing practices differ greatly from country to country.
- In some regions, counterfeit and substandard products are being released into the market, aggravating the situation further.
Fast Facts
- Superbugs could kill nearly 10 million people every year by 2050.
- Superbugs will kill more than cancer does today if not enough attention is paid to them.
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