Hello Again!!!
This week’s lecture we discussed antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Antibiotic use has been beneficial and, when prescribed and taken correctly, their value in patient care is enormous. However, these drugs have been used so widely and for so long that the infectious organisms the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted to them, making the drugs less effective. People infected with antimicrobial-resistant organisms are more likely to have longer, more expensive hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result of the infection.
What cause antimicrobial resistance?
Inappropriate and irrational use of medicines provides favourable conditions for resistant microorganisms to emerge and spread. For example, when patients do not take the full course of a prescribed antimicrobial or when poor quality antimicrobials are used, resistant microorganisms can emerge and spread.
Selecting an Antimicrobial Drug
Before antimicrobial therapy can begin three factors must be known:
- Overall medical conditions of patient
- Nature of microorganism causing infection
- Degree of microorganism susceptibility (sensitivity to various drugs
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
The purpose of performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing is to assist clinicians with the selection of appropriate targeted antibiotic therapy in order to optimize clinical outcomes. Infection-related and overall mortality is reduced when patients are treated expeditiously with an antibiotic to which the organism is susceptible.
Methods
The methods of antimicrobial susceptibility testing we learned about are qualitative and quantitative. The disk diffusion method, also known as the Kirby-Bauer method, is a qualitative method of susceptibility testing . Broth microdilution and agar dilution methodologies are considered quantitative because they can measure the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The MIC is defined as the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that inhibits visible growth of a microorganism. Both quantitative methods are considered the reference methods for susceptibility testing because of their high levels of reproducibility.
How do we prevent antimicrobial resistance?
- Limit drug use - less selective pressure
- Proper drug use - viruses are not affected, use full dose to ensure elimination of pathogens
- Narrow range antibiotics - kill only the targeted microbes; less likely complications
- Multiple drug treatments - drugs can work synergistically; much less likely to get drug resistances
Also, for more prevention methods and to learn what initiatives the Center for Disease Control and Prevent are taking to combat this problem, I have included a link to their "Get Smart for Healthcare" page so check it out.
Also, for those of you who are interested, I’ve included links to journal articles on "Antimicrobial‐Resistant Pathogens Associated With Healthcare‐Associated Infections" as well as "Frequent Acquisition of Multiple Strains of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Healthcare Workers in an Endemic Hospital Environment." I found them very interesting so check them out.
Until next time, read, comment, and post!
Thanks for reading!!!
Joke of the day:
Joke of the day:
I do not know what it will take for patients to realize that they have to take the medication as prescribed to them and for the amount of time it was prescribed. So many people have to deal with illnesses and infections much longer than normal because they stop taking their antibiotics as soon as they begin to "feel better". Then before they know it, they are sick again and in a worse situation than before. I believe that as mentioned in your post, taking medications as prescribed is key in preventing and treating infections. Now if we can just get the rest of the world to learn this, we'd be well on our way. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Jeff touched on this a little during class about how our food supply (meat: chicken, beef, pork) is consistently containing more and more antibiotics. Since most Americans don't have their own livestock or even buy meat which hasn't been treated with antibiotics, this could be a major cause in antimicrobial resistance. I think the FDA should look more into this since it affects the population as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI have to get onto my family and friends all the time for just taken medications up to the point where the sysptoms disapper or they start feeling better. Im afarid of the day that we run out of medications for infections becuase all the bacteria are resistant to everything.
ReplyDeleteI am the worlds worst with taking medications on a regular basis so when I get medicine for a cold I might take it for a couple days then I will completely forget all together. I had no idea that the process to choosing the right antibiotics with the right strength was so complex with so many factors to take into consideration or that forgetting to take your medicines for the alloted time could be so much worse for you in the long run. With this being such a problem I dont know why they would continue to treat our foods with antibiotics. Stopping this could be very beneficial to everyones health in the long run without having to worry about buying organic.
ReplyDelete