Antibiotics are losing power, more resistant bacteria

Kolistin is the last medicine used to save people's lives when all other drugs fail.

“was used a little at the clinic. And then there were some concerns about toxicity and side effects. It was used mainly in agriculture, then in pigs and little in chickens. Recently, though, lack of alternatives has increased interest in the use of this antibiotic. Particularly over the last five or 10 years, the clinical use of this drug has increased a lot”, says Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at London University.

But even this antibiotic is losing its power.

Deadly bacteria like E. Cole or salmonella can develop resistance to drugs. A new study of the University of London, led by Mr. Ballowx, has identified the speed with which the changed gene resists the colist showed up in the mid-20000s.

“only showed once. And it probably appeared to pigs, maybe China, and spread rapidly around the world. It spread to various species and affected humans. So now we find it in many of the most important bacteria we face in hospitals, and it's absolutely everywhere”.

Stable bacteria have also been found in seawater on Brazilian beaches.

This study focused on only one patient gene. Many bacteria are developing other forms of resistance.

Britain's health official recently warned that resistance to antibiotics could lead to the “end of modern medicine”.

“Think of ordinary operations, births by operation, replacement of hips. They would become much more dangerous if we had no effective antibiotics. The sophisticated bacteria kill and they're growing”, says Dame Sally Davies of the England Medical Office.

Scientists are working on “strengthening” of existing drugs like the cosistin to give them additional powers against resistant bacteria.

In the long term, researchers say that more investments in the development of new drugs are needed, as well as reviewing the way antibiotics are used in agriculture and clinics.