Humanity is fighting an increasingly tough and difficult battle against microorganisms of all kinds. Because of the inappropriate use of antibiotics in the last ten years, we risk losing the fight in more and more cases. Specialists speak of microorganisms totally resistant to any form of treatment.
Viruses and bacteria increasingly threaten our lives PHOTO The truth
The COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated the vulnerability of humans to microorganisms. Especially since they have a superior new adaptation speed, experts say.
Viruses, bacteria start to give more and more trouble, especially because of inappropriate habits. Sedentaryism, stress and unhealthy diet have weakened our immune system, and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can bring us to the brink of a terrible defeat in front of microorganisms.
“We live in a permanent competition with all things microorganisms”
Irina Alecu is a well-known epidemiologist from the Botoșani Health Department and she confesses that things regarding the relationship between humans and microorganisms have become complicated in the last 10 years. This competition, the battle between man and micro-organisms that has been going on since the beginning tends to take an unfortunate turn for our species.
“We live in a permanent competition with all that is microorganisms, whether they are bacteria or viruses. In the last 10 years, with an increase in the last five years, we observe a new global alert: that of the resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics. We are in a situation where very large funds are allocated to research to develop new treatment systems capable of keeping up with the speed of adaptation of microorganisms”stated Irina Alecu.
Microorganisms have a speed of adaptation superior to humans. “We are clearly inferior to the adaptation speed of microorganisms”admits Dr. Alecu.
Despite all the efforts of specialists, microorganisms resistant to all known treatments have already appeared.
“Already, more and more microorganisms are totally resistant to everything we know in terms of antibiotics”, adds the specialist. They have a high lethal potential, especially since those microorganisms cannot be killed by any known antibiotic. “Sepsis develops which is clearly fatal to the patient”she warns.
“At that moment we are checkmate”
And the main cause of the appearance of these pan-resistant microorganisms is the unjustified and excessive use of antibiotics. After decades when many people took antibiotics “by ear”, including in the case of viruses, where they have no effect, microorganisms have learned to adapt and survive the medicinal assault brilliantly.
“This situation arose after a long period of use, let's say, without caution, of antibiotics. We have always known that antibiotics do not work on everything that is a viral infection. We do not take antibiotics for any pain, because they are not analgesic. We must understand that the antibiotic must be taken targeted, when we know what is effective on a particular infection. This is how we got to the current situation, we have more and more microorganisms for which we cannot intervene”says Irina Alecu.
Faced with these resistant microorganisms developed after the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics, doctors in some cases end up having no way to save the patient's life.
“We, as medical professionals, are put in a position to capitulate to a microorganism that has developed total resistance to whatever substance we currently have for treatment. They become mortal, they invade us. At that moment we are in checkmate and we have lost the battle with the pan-resistant microorganism”, states Dr. Irina Alecu.
In fact, the World Health Organization has published a list of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, microorganisms with high pathogenic potential – called “priority pathogens”.
