Antibiotics are a powerful weapon in the battle against bacterial infection.
Since the 1940’s, when Penicillin was first introduced for the treatment of humans, the number of antibiotic drugs available have been constantly growing. Antibiotics have now become the most powerful weapon in the battle against bacterial infection.
However, bacteria have been fighting back, and the number of antibiotic resistances in clinically important pathogenic bacteria is a major concern. The degree of this global threat to human health has been outlined in a report recently published online in “The Lancet” by a large group of researchers from around the world (1).
For the year 2019 the study estimates that 4.95 million (3.62–6.57) deaths were attributable to Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) globally, a figure equal to the number of citizens in places like Madrid, Toronto, or Singapore.
With regards to the type of infection the authors state: “Lower respiratory infections accounted for more than 1.5 million deaths associated with resistance in 2019, making it the most burdensome infectious syndrome.” The six leading pathogens for deaths associated with resistance are:
- Escherichia coli
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Acinetobacter baumannii
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
These are the same organisms that are most commonly associated with hospital acquired infection.
In addition to giving antibiotic therapy to the infected, applying non-pharmacological, preventative methods like disinfection and sterilization and the use of other methods of contamination and infection control are essential in protecting susceptible patients and staff.
The highly concerning situation of AMR is further compounded by the limited number of new antimicrobial drugs in the pharmaceutical development pipeline as outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2): “The clinical pipeline of new antimicrobials is dry. In 2019 WHO identified 32 antibiotics in clinical development that address the WHO list of priority pathogens, of which only six were classified as innovative. Furthermore, a lack of access to quality antimicrobials remains a major issue.”
Filtration is a method of preventing contamination and infection control, which efficiently retains bacteria and viruses from gases and liquids by mechanisms, which are based in physics. These filtration processes are independent of potential bacterial antibiotic resistances. Additionally, the use of high efficiency breathing filters has been shown to be a safe means of protection when the nature of the infective agent was first unknown, as seen during the 2001/ 2002 SARS outbreak.
Pall Medical is proud to provide a range of filters for clinical applications, such as Breathing System Filters, which have been validated for the retention of a variety of human pathogenic organisms. Irrespective of AMR of the organisms involved, our high efficiency hydrophobic gas filters will provide a reliable and robust microbiological barrier for clinical applications of medical gases. Pall Medical has high efficiency filters that are also available for other clinical applications, like IV therapy or hospital water.
-
Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. The Lancet. 2022(Jan 20);399(10325):629–655. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0.
-
World Health Organisation. Antimicrobial resistance. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance. Published 2021 Nov 17. Accessed 2022 Mar 19.
Author bio
Dr. Wolfgang Hares, MSc PHD - Sr. Global Manager Scientific Affairs for Gas Filtration and Respiratory Care
He supports with a range of products, which includes filters for mechanical ventilation, surgical and medical gas applications, and pulmonary function testing. He has held several roles in regional and Global marketing functions and holds a MsSc from the University of Cologne and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University Hamburg, Germany.