The emergence of antibacterial drugs is undoubtedly a milestone in the development of medicine and has radically changed the pattern of human struggle against bacterial infectious diseases. The journey from penicillin’s accidental discovery to today’s serious challenge of superbacterium is a legendary one and a profound inspiration for future medical developments.
At the end of the 20th century, British bacterologist Fleming discovered, in a random experiment, that the growth of the surrounding fungus had been inhibited by the contamination of the fungus in the cultured vessel by a cyanobacteria. This magical phenomenon is of great concern to Flemming, who, after an in-depth study, discovered penicillin as a powerful anti-bacterial activity. However, penicillin was not immediately widely applied due to the constraints of extraction and purification techniques at that time. Until the 1940s, with the outbreak of World War II, a large number of the wounded were threatened by bacterial infections, and the industrial production and clinical application of penicillin became a priority. As a result of the tireless efforts of scientists, penicillin was produced on a large scale and quickly performed magic healing on the battlefield, saving the lives of countless wounded. The success of penicillin has ushered in the golden age of antibacterial drugs, followed by the discovery and clinical application of a series of antibiotics, such as chain carcinin, chlorcin and tetracyclic, which appear to have gained an absolute advantage in the battle against bacteria.
But the good news is that, with the widespread use of antibiotics, bacteria have begun their “counterattacks”. Some bacteria have gradually gained antibiotic resistance through mutation or gene transfer. Methooxysilin-resistant vinyl fungus (MRSA) has become one of the first known superb bacteria to be resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, including penicillin, and has rendered ineffective treatments that were effective. Since then, there has been an increase in the number of superb bacteria, such as VRE and CRE, which pose a significant threat to global public health. According to statistics, the annual number of deaths due to ultra-bacterial infections is rising, and in some areas the proportion of hospitals receiving ultra-bacterial infections is also high.
The creation of superb bacteria is closely related to the misuse of antibiotics. In the medical field, irrational prescriptions, prolonged and overdoses of antibiotics allow bacteria to evolve under strong selective pressure. In addition, antibiotics are widely used in agriculture and livestock for animal growth and disease prevention, which further accelerates the spread of bacterial resistance. Similarly, environmental factors, such as sewage discharges with antibiotics, waste disposal, etc., make drug-resistant bacteria widespread in the natural environment, creating a “storage” of drug-resistant genes that could be transmitted to humans and other organisms at any time.
In the face of the challenge of superbacterium, scientists are not waiting to die, but are actively exploring coping strategies. On the one hand, the development of new antibacterial drugs is a priority. Scientists are constantly looking for new sources of antibacterial material in the natural world, such as the screening of antibacterial compounds from marine microorganisms, soil wiring bacteria, etc. At the same time, traditional antibiotics have been structurally modified to improve their antibacterial activity and resistance to drug-resistant bacteria. For example, some improvements have been made in antibacterial spectroscopy and resistance to new types of antibiotics. On the other hand, non-antibiotic antibacterial therapy is receiving increasing attention. As an old and emerging treatment, cactus therapy uses bacterial agents that specialize in bacteria to kill bacteria, with the advantage of being specific and less resistant. Antibacterial peptide is a group of small, antibacterial peptide produced by organisms with a variety of mechanisms and some antibacterial activity for drug-resistant bacteria. In addition, methods such as immunotherapy and fungi regulation are being studied with a view to combating bacterial infections by enhancing the human body ‘ s own immune defence or by regulating the balance of microbiological communities.
From penicillin to superbacterium, we are deeply aware that the use of antibacterial drugs is a double-edged sword. In the enjoyment of the medical benefits they provide, care must be taken against the creation and spread of bacterial resistance. The future requires multidisciplinary cooperation on a global scale, involving experts in the fields of medicine, biology, chemistry and environmental science. At the policy level, control over the production, sale and use of antibiotics is strengthened, and guidelines and regulations for rational use are developed. In the area of public education, raise public awareness of the correct use of antibiotics and reduce the need for unnecessary use of antibiotics. Only then will it be possible to win this long battle with superbs, to continue to safeguard human health from the serious threat of bacterial infectious diseases, to continue the brilliant chapter in the medical history of antibacterial drugs and to open up a brighter future for human health.
