"Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness. With the growth of antimicrobial resistance, routine treatments could become impossible owing to the risk of infection. Cancer treatments, care of newborns and routine surgeries are all in danger if this trend isn't curbed. Millions of people are already dying from infections by antibiotic-resistant bacteria."
"In 2023, the World Bank estimated that antimicrobial resistance could increase health-care costs by US$1 trillion by 2050. So, researchers are urgently looking for solutions."
"Some of these might come from surprising places, and this has led researchers to investigate organisms at the planet's extremes. Other scientists, however, have discovered a source of antibiotic-producing bacteria closer to home - at the grave of a faith healer."
"Together, this research could unlock new antibiotics and find ways to make them last longer, avoiding a future in which bacterial infections make a resurgence."
Antibiotics are losing effectiveness as antimicrobial resistance grows, making routine treatments riskier and threatening cancer care, newborn care, and routine surgeries. Millions of people already die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antimicrobial resistance is projected to raise health-care costs by US$1 trillion by 2050. Researchers are urgently seeking solutions by exploring organisms from extreme environments and by investigating antibiotic-producing bacteria found at the grave of a faith healer. Other efforts use artificial intelligence to speed antibiotic discovery, improve drug delivery into bacteria, and support physicians in deciding when to prescribe antibiotics to reduce overuse. These approaches aim to unlock new antibiotics and extend their usefulness.
Read at Nature
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]