Antibiotic resistance found in 21.5% of heart, kidney, pediatric patients in BSMMU
The global death toll from antimicrobial resistance currently stands at 700,000, according to WHO
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has found that 21.5% of patients treated in its cardiovascular, kidney, paediatric and neonatal departments are resistant to antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance, also known as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), occurs when a drug that was previously effective against a particular disease-causing microbe is no longer effective.
The findings of the research on Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes for Enhancing Infection Control in a Tertiary Care Hospital were presented during a seminar held at BSMMU on Sunday.
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The study also indicated that 52% of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at BSMMU exhibit multi-antibiotic resistance, and this number is rapidly increasing.
Speaking at the seminar, health experts expressed their concerns regarding the rising rate of antibiotic resistance among children and infants.
To address this issue, the experts said measures should be taken to prevent the unnecessary use of antibiotics, monitor the sale of antibiotics in retail shops, and raise awareness among the public.
Dr Jahidul Islam, associate professor at the Department of Pharmacology at BSMMU, said antimicrobial resistance cannot be prevented by doctors alone.
He said around 55% of food products produced in the poultry industry, particularly chicken meat, are affected by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Furthermore, 19 types of antibiotics are used in the fish, animal, and poultry industries, leading to concerns within the agricultural sector.
Consuming these foods can easily make the human body resistant to antibiotics, resulting in ineffective treatment and potential fatality, he added.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports, antibiotic resistance leads to increased mortality, longer hospital stays and higher medical costs.
The global healthcare costs for patients due to antimicrobial resistance exceed $20 billion annually, and the WHO said that this cost will reach $100 trillion by 2050.
During the seminar, it was revealed that the global death toll from antimicrobial resistance currently stands at 700,000. The World Health Organization predicts that this number will rise to 10 million by 2050.
Dr Jahidul Islam highlighted the importance of implementing the "One Health Solution", initiated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the presence of world leaders, to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Professor Dr Md Sharfuddin Ahmed, the vice-chancellor of BSMMU, expressed concern over the ineffectiveness of reserved antibiotics, such as Meropenem, in ICU patients.
He emphasised the need to prevent antibiotic misuse and raise awareness, stating that without proper implementation, by 2050, human bodies will become resistant to antibiotics, resulting in twice as many deaths from diseases such as the Coronavirus.
It is essential for regulators to ensure that antibiotics cannot be bought or sold without consulting a doctor, he added.
Antibiotics are classified as the "access group" which is prescribed for primary infections, the "watch group" for high-resistance bacteria, and the "reserve group" for infections that cannot be prevented or treated with drugs from the other groups.
In this seminar, Dr Nazmul Hasan, an associate professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, BSMMU, presented another study titled "Rational Use of Antibiotics: Clinician's Role in AMS".
The study said, in Bangladesh 64% of total antibiotic usage was from the "Watch Group" rather than the "Access Group". The most commonly used antibiotic was third-generation cephalosporin (51.4%). Overall, 0.1% usage of the Reserve group of antibiotics. In BSMMU 64% of antibiotic usage was from the "Watch Group".
Dr Md Nazmul Hasan said the effectiveness of antibiotics is decreasing due to not using the right medicine in the right dose for a certain period of time. Therefore, it is important to implement the policy as soon as possible to ensure its proper use. He emphasised banning the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry and agriculture.
Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) and Role of Microbiology in AMS tilled another study presented by Dr Shaheda Anwar, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, BSMMU.
Dr Shaheda Anwar said antimicrobial stewardship programmes have been launched in hospitals in developed countries. BSMMU also needs to start this program as soon as possible. If successfully introduced, it will be possible to reduce in-hospital patient mortality rate, and length of patient stay in the hospital and reduce the tendency to develop antibiotic resistance.
For this, it is necessary to identify the pathogen and determine the effectiveness of the antibiotic and apply the correct antibiotic. Because no new antibiotics are coming to the market in the near future, Shaheda added.
