Antibiotics lose effectiveness as common infections rise

Latest data, between January 2023 and December 2023, taken-up across the country including Hyderabad, has given a clear indication that the most common class of antibiotics have become ineffective in treating ailments.

Hyderabad: With each passing year, antibiotics that are meant to treat common ailments are turning out to be ineffective. Treating ailments like Urinary Tract Infections (UTI), pneumonia, typhoid, infections of blood, lungs, or diarrhea due to E-coli infection is taking more time than usual, all thanks to the increasing resistance to antibiotics.

Latest ‘Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Surveillance Network’ annual report data, between January 2023 and December 2023, taken-up across the country including Hyderabad, has given a clear indication that the most common class of antibiotics have become ineffective in treating ailments.

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In a clear indication of antibiotics overuse, E-Coli, the most common bacteria that causes a range of infections/disease among humans including food borne illness like cramps, diarrhea, fever, urinary tract infections, dysentery etc, is showing increased resistance to a variety of antibiotics.

Over the years, rampant prescription and self-medication of antibiotics, which were meant to kill E-Coli, are not effective anymore. “E Coli isolates demonstrated decrease in susceptibility (which means the bacteria has changed and is no longer responding well to the antibiotic) with an antibiotic piperacillin-tazobactam dropping to 42 percent in 2023 from 56.8 percent in 2017,” the ICMR report indicated.

Another common bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia, the most common kind of bacteria that causes Urinary Tract Infection (UTIs) has simply become untreatable. “Klebsiella pneumoniae showed reduced susceptibility, notably with piperacillintazobactam falling from 42.6 percent to 26.5 percent, carbapenems (imipenem from 58.5 percent to 35.6 perent and meropenem from 48 percent to 37.6 percent), fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin from 32 percent to 17.1 percent) over seven years,” the ICMR annual report said.

“The problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is indeed worsening over time. As bacteria continue to evolve and adapt, they become less susceptible to existing antibiotics, making it more challenging to treat infections. This trend is particularly concerning because it could lead to a future where many common infections become untreatable, potentially resulting in a significant increase in morbidity and mortality,” doctors said.

Certain broad spectrum antibiotics have showed a significant rise in resistance. “A significant increase in resistance rates for ciprofloxacin (26 percent in 2017 to 38.5percent in 2023) and levofloxacin (31.3 percent in 2017 to 34.5 percent in 2023) has been observed in the last seven years,” the study said.

Bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumonia, which cause blood infections among patients in hospitals have developed huge resistance from certain class of antibiotics. “80 percent of Klebsiella pneumoniae and 91 percent of Acinetobacter baumannii causing infections were imipenem resistant.

Nearly 63 percent of Staphylococcus aureus and around 42.7 percent of Enterococcus faecium causing infections were respectively oxacillin and vancomycinresistant,” the study said.