A Clinical Microbiologist at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Bamidele Mutiu, says some bacteria have become resistant to virtually all available antibiotics over the years, yet, no new antibiotic has been developed in the last 30 years.
He however called for action to address this increasing spate of bacterial resistance to antibiotics in Nigeria because antibiotic resistance affects treatment outcomes of diseases.
Mutiu made the disclosure at an ongoing programme organised by the St. Racheal’s Pharma in Lagos, as part of its activities to create awareness on antibiotic resistance during the 2018 World Antibiotic Awareness Week, marked from Nov. 12 to Nov. 18.
“We are running out of effective antibiotics that we need to fight infections,’’ he said, citing different studies showing different levels of resistance to popular antibiotics.
“In Lagos, for instance, a study showed that some germs (bacteria) such as the Pseudomonias aeruginosa strains have become resistant to all available antibiotics in Nigeria at a very high level, ranging from 45 per cent to 100 per cent.
“The result of such resistance is that physicians have to develop some ingenious ways to get their patients, who need such antibiotics, treated.
“Also, more people, are dying due to antibiotic resistance,’’ Mutiu, who is a senior lecturer, said.
He identified some factors responsible for antibiotic resistance in Nigeria to include exposure to sub-optimal levels of antimicrobial, exposure to microbes carrying resistance genes and inappropriate drug use.
According to him, lack of quality control in manufacturing or outdated antimicrobial, inadequate surveillance or defective susceptibility assays, poverty or war, absence of local and national guidelines and policies, as well as use of antibiotics in foods, are also factors responsible for antibiotic resistance.
“Antibiotics are used in animal feeds and sprayed on plants to prevent infection and promote growth.
“Multi drug-resistant Salmonella typhi has been found in four states in 18 people who ate beef of animals fed antibiotics,” he said.
“Other factors such as misuse, poor infrastructure, insufficient equipment, poor knowledge and application of basic infection control measures, lack of procedure, lack of knowledge of injection and blood transfusion safety have led to antibiotic resistance.
“Asides from all the above, the problem of antibiotic resistance resulted globally because of “prolonged failure to preserve antibiotics,’’ Mutiu said.
To tackle the menace of antibiotic resistance in the country, Akinjide Adeosun, CEO and Managing Director, St. Racheal’s Pharma, advised members of the public to always consult their doctors and take prescriptions to pharmacists.
He urged Nigerians to stop self-medication and ensure they took the full dose of their antibiotics when prescribed by doctors.
Adeosun also advised doctors and pharmacists to always source their antibiotics from top quality pharmaceutical manufacturers, while also calling on the pharmaceutical industry to invest more toward the discovery of new antibiotics.
According to Adeosun, St Racheal’s Pharma, also known as the House of Antibiotics, will conduct the Surveillance Of Antibiotic Resistance (SOAR) in Nigeria in 2019.
The study is designed to provide doctors with current antibiotic sensitivity patterns and also guide them toward rational prescription of drugs, all in a bid to ensure better treatment outcomes for patients and peace of mind for doctors and pharmacists.
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