The professional perception surrounding antibiotic resistance revolves around the crucial need to develop new antibacterial and anti-fungal treatments for resistant disease causing organisms. The popular audience may not conceive of this battle going on behind the scenes in research labs around the world. Therefore the point of view of this battle as described in the journals I read is a personal challenge, vested with teamwork of other people working in antibiotic research, who see it as their lifelong desire to make life better for those who suffer from infectious diseases.
The two journals I selected from the Electronic Journal Center reflected a small picture of the research challenge of clinical laboratory personnel who are at the forefront of this issue. I preferred to read the whole article, not just the abstract, because it gave me a better feeling for the dedication,time, and money being spent deciphering effective treatments for an old nemesis- TB, (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). The second journal dealt with a fungal disease process, IA (Invasive Aspergillosis), and trends in research of developing new drugs for the high mortality rate seen with its causative agent, Aspergillus fumigatus. (a. & b.)
With the tuberculosis problem, that journal provided information on a molecular diagnostic technique that tests for resistant changes in the DNA. It occurs mostly through mutation on gene sites, and the test keys in on those DNA mutated sequences. They acknowledged that old methods of culturing specimens from patients is time consuming, and doesn't provide the physician with a rapid enough result that would inform him/her that their patient may have a TB strain that is resistant. This molecular test is performed more rapidly, and can be designed to find MDR 's( Multiple Drug Resistant) patterns in not just TB but other subspecies of Mycobacterium and other infectious disease organisms as well. (b.)
In IA, the agent is a fungal organism. The journal examined the challenges in treatment of patients with resistant strains of this problem. My deciphering of this information was more difficult as it featured elements of lab medicine I am less familiar with at this time. I do understand their research indicated a multi-focal attack in finding more than one agent to act against this fungus. Some like Amphotericin B are highly toxic to liver and kidney organs. If the patient is already immuno-compromised, ( HIV, etc.), then the situation becomes more difficult. (a.)
Summarily it appears that most professionals on the hot seat in investigating antibiotic (drug) resistant microorganisms realize they are in for the long haul. Microbes are minute living organisms and can rapidly adapt to almost any chemical bombardment thrown at them. They beg, borrow, and can steal DNA,(or RNA and protein sequences) from their surrounding environment to make themselves more resistant to pharmaceuticals that us more complex humans can throw at them. It reminds me of how the Martians were defeated in "War of the Worlds."
Works Cited from Electronic Journal Center
a. Chamilos, G. , Kontoyiannis, D.P., Drug Resistance Updates 8 (2005) 344-358, Aspergillus fumigatus, An update on anti-fungal drug resistance mechanisms. Elsevier Ltd.(Available online at www.sciencedirect.com or www.elsevier.com/locate/drop
Downloaded and on PDF from http://blackboard.uc.edu (Electronic Journal Center) 18 Oct 2011
b. Arnold, C., Westland,L., Mowat, G., Underwood, A., Magee, J., Gharbia, S. Single-nucleotide polymorphism-based differentiation and drug resistance detection in Mycobacterium tuberculosis from isolates or directly from sputum. Clinical Microbiology Infectious 2005; 11: 122-130. Journal allowed reprint from European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
Download on on PDF from http://blackboard.uc.edu (Electronic Journal Center) 18 Oct 2011
Cindy, You do a truly excellent job of showing the complementary natures of the public and professional views; your "behind the scenes" metaphor seems very appropriate. It's interesting, too, how closely connected the genre of each of these seems to be to the kind of information being considered. Perhaps this field has a better sense of how to convey relevant and accurate information to the public than others?
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