Why are multidrug resistant infections a problem? Apart from the fact they are harder and cost more to treat?

Question

Useful websites would be welcomed.

Answer 1

MDR infections lead to higher mortality and are much more dangerous than regular infections. There is a threat to wipe out huge sections of the population by these infections. The current major MDR bacteria include Methicillin-resistant Staph.aureus (MRSA), MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter, and Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE). Most of these antibiotics are last resort ones. MRSA, which were originally susceptible to Vancomycin have now become resistant (VRSA).

This is a HUGE problem primarily because of two reasons. Firstly, almost all the involved bacteria cause nosocomial (hospital acquired) infections, from where they have acquired resistance in the first place. This is alarming, because all you have to do is visit the hospital for some minor illness and you could end up with a life-threatening infection by MDR bacteria. Second, there are little signs of slowing down of this emergence of resistance. Like I said earlier, MRSA became VRSA in a matter of weeks after Vancomycin was commisioned to be used in treating MRSA.

With antibiotic discoveries few and far between, alternative therapies are being explored, like the use of bacteriophages for treatment of MDR bacteria.

The CDC website should give you enough information on this aspect.

Answer 2

In addition to what deeps said (and they should know) I would add that this is an example of evolution in action. As antibiotics are given to people (or animals) a small portion of the population of bacteria may be resistant to that antibiotic. These then reproduce and become a greater portion of the population of that bacteria in the world as a whole, or a small part of it, like a hospital. This is complicated by the fact that sometimes bacteria can exchange genetic material, transferring resistance along the way.

You should be aware that hospitals and humans in general are only part of the problem. The livestock and poultry industries use large amount's of antibiotics. As a person who almost died from a multi-drug resistant infection, I was outraged to discover that some of the most effective antibiotics are fed to chickens to prevent disease in overcrowded conditions. For information on human used antibiotics in livestock, try:

http://www.fda.gov/cvm/HRESP106_157.htm

Answer 3

Imagine going to the hospital for a "routine procedure" and getting a staph infection. The infection is growing in you and all efforts to stop it with antibiotics are failing. At a certain point as you become more and more septic the medical staff tells you there is nothing more they can do, you are going to die. This is a real possibility, this is the problem with antibotic resistant bacteria. This has found its way to TB now called MDR TB.

Answer 4

Well you have pretty much answered your own question. The very fact that they are multi druh resistant means it makes it very hard to treat the patient. This leads to an increased mortality rate.

Answer 5

the get stronger, and smarter. they cost more to treat. they develop when people put un-needed antibiotics in their bodies or stop taking them too soonand they build resistance.

Answer 6

Many, try Google.