Fighting “superbugs” - using research to save humanity
In the latest episode of our Where would we be without research? podcast Angharad Davies chats to host Dot about how researchers are working hard to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Since their discovery almost 100 years ago, antibiotics have transformed medicine. Without them, minor injuries and infections would come with a risk of death, and life-saving surgeries would not be possible.
Now, some bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, meaning they might no longer work to treat common infections.
Scientists and doctors are using vital research to find new treatments for infection in the fight against these “superbugs”.
The discovery of antibiotics
Health and Care Research Wales Specialty Lead for Infection, Angharad Davies, who was inspired into medicine after reading a book about World Health Organisation projects at the age of 15, said: “Back in 1928, Alexander Fleming saw mould had grown in a Petri dish he was using to grow bacteria. He noticed the mould was producing something which was stopping the bacteria from growing.
“After more research, Fleming found this ‘mould juice’ was effective against a range of bacteria, and from this early study the first antibiotic, penicillin, was born. Antibiotics are now estimated to have saved around 200 million lives worldwide.
“I have a newspaper clipping from 1899, before Fleming discovered penicillin, about a man who got a very small cut from a blade of grass on his foot. It got infected and doctors had to amputate his foot to save his life.
“We just wouldn’t expect that to happen now, antibiotics really have revolutionised the way we care for patients.”
Incoming “superbugs”
“One of the main challenges facing healthcare today is bacteria which are resistant to antibiotics.
“Every time we discover a new antibiotic, within a few years bacteria evolve to resist it. We have almost run out of antibiotics for some types of bacteria. For years we’ve also been in a situation where people have thought ‘we'll use antibiotics just in case’ because there are minimal side effects, but that leads to overuse and the development of resistance.
“This is a huge problem which threatens to take us back to the time when a small cut on your foot could be incredibly dangerous.
“Researchers are working hard to try to find new ways of treating infections and ways of using fewer antibiotics.”
Tuberculosis treatment
“One bacterial infection which has become a major problem in terms of antibiotic resistance is drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), a very dangerous infection. .
“That’s why I chose to focus my early research on looking at different ways of dealing with antibiotic resistance in TB.
“The bacteria that cause TB can lie dormant in the body for years before ‘waking up’ and causing disease. While they are dormant, it’s more difficult for treatment to work.
“My research focussed on ways of making these dormant bacteria easier to treat and kill, by reactivating, or resuscitating them in the lab.”
The future of infections
“One major development in bacterial research recently is the ability to obtain the whole DNA sequence, or genetic code, of the bacteria. This means we can understand much better which changes to the DNA help bacteria to resist antibiotics.
“This will make it much easier and quicker for doctors to know whether using particular antibiotics is going to be effective for their patient. Until now, it has usually taken a couple of days to get that result, but that is already starting to change thanks to this new technology.
“Scientists are also looking for other ways to treat infection. For example, researchers are looking at using viruses which infect bacteria, called phages, to kill the bacteria. Then we wouldn’t be as reliant on antibiotics alone.
“This is a very exciting area in research which is incredibly important for the future of medicine.”