COVID-19: Researchers warn of sharp rise in antimicrobial resistance

A team of researchers from Queens University in Belfast in Northern Ireland have identified new problems linked to coronavirus disease COVID19 and warn of a sharp rise in antimicrobial resistance associated with its treatment in the aftermath of the pandemicIn their paper published in EMBO Molecular Medicine leading microbiologists Jose Bengoechea and Connor Bamford from the WellcomeWolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queens highlight the dramatic impact of coinfections in COVID19 patients and urge caution over a new wave of antimicrobial resistanceA team of researchers from Queens University in Belfast in Northern Ireland have identified new problems linked to coronavirus disease COVID19 and warn of a sharp rise in antimicrobial resistance associated with its treatment in the aftermath of the pandemicCOVID__19 pictwittercomYPHMigWRQtmdash IANS Tweets ians_india June 9 2020In their paper the researchers discuss how COVID19 patients are at risk of developing severe bacterial infections The researchers suggest potentially fatal bacterial respiratory infections may arise subsequently or coincidentally from hospital stays and therapies given to treat such patientsCoexisting bacterial infection alongside the virus may worsen the clinical outcome and the severity of COVID19 in a patient increasing the risk of deathClinical data as well as postmortem analysis of tissues from COVID19 patients already indicate the presence of bacterial coinfections in patientsThe paper highlights how SARSCoV2 and bacteria in the lungs may affect each others ability to cause damage and with the immune response to the virus being different when bacteria are present the clinical outcome and the severity of COVID19 in a patient could worsen The paper also suggests the likeliness of the gut microbiota being disrupted in severe COVID19 patients which may affect disease outcomes including predisposition to secondary bacterial infections of the lungJose Bengoechea Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Director of Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queens University explains The lack of therapies to treat severe COVID19 patients led clinicians to use a number of treatments to modify the activity of their immune systemHowever it is important to note that these interventions may also increase the risk of potentially fatal secondary bacterial respiratory infectionsTherefore careful consideration should be given whether any potential new therapy may affect the patients defences against bacterial infections We believe that there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutics to treat COVID19 targeting the virusbacteria coinfection scenarioThe research also raises concerns about the impact of COVID19 on antimicrobial resistance AMR globally Nearly all severe COVID19 patients are being treated with broadspectrum antibiotics which not only may have limited results but are also associated with higher mortalityThe World Health Organisation WHO had recently expressed fears that the coronavirus pandemic will increase the global threat of antimicrobial resistance as many coronavirus patients receive antibiotics as part of their treatment regimeConnor Bamford virologist and WellcomeISSF Research Fellow at the WellcomeWolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queens University says We are still in the early days of the COVID19 pandemic and are learning more about this virus and disease every day One of the most worrying aspects emerging is the association with bacterial and other microbial coinfections in the sickest patientsOur research suggests that bacterial infection alongside the virus is likely to make COVID19 worse although we dont yet know the true extent The rise of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria means this situation is harder to treat It is clear that we will need new drugs that take into consideration both the virus and the bacteriaBengoechea concludes It is critical that coinfections should not be underestimated and instead be part of the plan to limit the global burden of morbidity and mortality during the COVID19 pandemic and beyondWe hope that our research exploring the role of bacterial and SARSCoV2 coinfections will result in the improved health of COVID19 patients and possibly even save livesCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever