Antimicrobial Resistance
Microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that have negative effects on humans, animals, and plants, are called pathogens. To treat these pathogenic microbes, antimicrobial substances are being used, which include antibiotics to treat bacteria, antivirals against viruses, antifungals for fungi, and antiparasitics that are used to treat parasitic infections. After using these antimicrobials for some time, those microbes stop responding to the treatment, a process known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In fact, all microorganisms that develop many antimicrobial resistances are often referred to as "superbugs." As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.
History of Antibiotics
Antibiotics have been used to treat pathogenic bacteria infections for a long time in human societies. However, it was not until the discovery of penicillin from the culture filtrate of a fungus, Penicillium notatum, by Alexander Fleming in 1928 (Fleming, 1929) against bacteria that a new era in human medicine started saving millions of lives. With the ability to mass-produce antibiotics in the 1940s, they started to be used widely for human and veterinary medicines including antibiotic addition to animal food to improve growth in livestock (Knapp et al, 2010).
Unfortunately, by the 1950s, penicillin resistance had already evolved and started threatening bacterial infection treatments, and eventually, resistance has been seen to nearly all kinds of antibiotics that have been developed (Spellberg et al, 2014).
Resistance
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause two million illnesses and approximately 23,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.
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Without effective tools for the prevention and adequate treatment of drug-resistant infections and improved access to existing and new quality-assured antimicrobials, the number of people for whom treatment is failing or who die of infections will increase. Medical procedures such as surgery, including cesarean sections or hip replacements, cancer chemotherapy, and organ
transplantation will become riskier.
There are several ways to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance microbes, the simplest way is by washing our hands frequently with regular soap and water.
Antibacterial Soaps' Contribution to Resistance
The main concern in relation to antibacterial soaps is the active presence of triclosan. Triclosan is known to be harmful to our bodies as it aids in making bacteria resistant to antibiotics because it can result in the development of mutant bacteria. Furthermore, triclosan has been found in the breast milk and urine of individuals, with its presence being linked to an individual’s higher exposure to antibacterial soaps in their everyday lives (FDA, 2019).
Along with that, antibacterial soaps are endocrine disruptors for our bodies as it was tested on animals and it showed to cause changes in their hormones (Greenfield, 2016). Although it may not be causing a problem for people who are starting to use antibacterial soaps now, the long-term usage of them may be contributing to the issue of antimicrobial resistance. It is important to note there have also been no proven benefits of antibacterial soap over normal soap, which is something we should all be mindful of for the future.
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