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Tag: Antibiotics

  • Safe care from start: Why better diagnostics can save lives

    Safe care from start: Why better diagnostics can save lives

    Kenya joins the world in marking the World Patient Safety Day Wednesday with a new research highlighting urgent threat to child health due to the underuse of diagnostics and alarming levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among hospitalized children.

    This year’s World Patient Safety Day, observed on 17 September under the theme “Safe care for every newborn and every child” with the slogan “Patient safety from the start!”, comes at a critical time. A new study highlights just how urgent the situation is.

    In the new research experts noted that safe care starts with strong diagnostics.

    Every child deserves safe, effective care from the moment they fall sick, yet in many hospitals across sub-Saharan Africa, experts say treatment often begins before infections are properly diagnosed using laboratory tools.

    The result? Antibiotics are given indiscriminately, infections go undetected, and antibiotic resistance spreads at alarming rates.

     The World Health Organization has set ambitious targets to reduce deaths linked to resistant infections and ensure that antibiotics remain available for use by those who truly need them. These goals cannot be met without reliable diagnostics. As Dr. Veronicah Chuchu notes: “Safe care starts with strong diagnostics; without them, children’s lives hang in the balance.”

    Researchers reviewed medical records of 1,608 children admitted with suspected infections between 2017 and 2021 in a referral hospital in Kenya.

    They analyzed infection patterns, the use of diagnostic tools, and antibiotic resistance. The findings were sobering: Gastroenteritis, bacterial pneumonia, and sepsis were among the most common infections, echoing global evidence that these are the leading causes of child illness and death, especially in under-immunized and malnourished populations.

    According to the researchers only 4 in 10 children had cultures requested, of those just 17pc received full antibiotic sensitivity testing the gold standard for guiding treatment.

    The study shows that more than 70pc of tested samples had bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, and nearly 30pc were extensively drug-resistant, leaving doctors with few treatment options.

    Children under five years and those with repeat admissions were the most vulnerable.

    One particularly worrying finding was that 86pc of the samples showed no bacteria at all.

    This can happen when children are given antibiotics at home or at another facility before admission; when samples are too little, poorly collected, or contaminated; or when delays in transport cause bacteria to die before testing. In the absence of reliable results, doctors often rely on broad “catch-all” antibiotics. While sometimes life-saving, this approach drives resistance, prolongs hospital stays, increases costs, and tragically, can still end in death.

    According to Dr. Chuchu, the lead author of the study, these challenges are not unique to Kenya. Across many low- and middle-income countries,, diagnostic services remain weak due to shortages of trained staff, laboratory supplies, and functional equipment.

    Fewer laboratories are able to perform even basic bacterial culture tests. “When children are treated without knowing the exact cause of their illness, their safety is compromised from the very start.” Dr. Chuchu, the lead author of the study stresses.

    What must change?

    According to the study authors, we must first scale up diagnostic capacity so that every child with an infection has access to cultures and sensitivity testing. Second, we need to strengthen laboratories by investing in infrastructure, skilled personnel, and timely reporting systems. Third, health facilities must make laboratory testing central to treatment decisions rather than defaulting to experience based therapy.

    “On this World Patient Safety Day, let us commit to ensuring that every child in Kenya, and across Africa, receives safe care from the start,” Dr. Chuchu concludes. “That means building stronger laboratories, training health workers, and making diagnostics as essential as stethoscopes. Only then can we protect children’s health, preserve the power of antibiotics, and save lives.” Authors highlight.

    This research was conducted by the Washington State University Global Health Kenya and Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA) at the University of Nairobi, funded by the Fogarty International Center and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and supported by the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health at Washington State University.

     

    Also read https://www.kbc.co.ke/70-of-common-bacteria-in-kenya-now-resistant-to-antibiotics-experts-warn/

  • 70% of common bacteria in Kenya now resistant to antibiotics, experts warn

    70% of common bacteria in Kenya now resistant to antibiotics, experts warn

    Health experts have warned that up to 70pc of common bacteria are now resistant to antibiotics a trend that is undermining the country’s ability to treat infections.

    According to experts some of the most abused antibiotics include Metronidazole, meropenem  powerful drugs that should only be used for severe infections.

    Speaking Tuesday during Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) stakeholders roundtable at the Norfolk Hotel, Dr. Loice Ombajo, Infectious Diseases Specialist, at the University of Nairobi warned that AMR is a leading cause of death worldwide, with bacterial AMR directly responsible for 1.27 million deaths in 2019.

    She noted that the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and plants continue to fuel this crisis, making common infections harder to treat and threatening essential medical procedures such as surgeries and cancer treatments.

    Dr. Ombajo warned against self prescription and use of antibiotics when not needed noting that misuse at household level such as buying antibiotics without prescriptions or taking them for illnesses like colds and diarrhea contributes to the crisis.

    “Don’t take antibiotics when you don’t need them. Misuse puts you at risk of developing resistant bacteria,” Dr. Ombajo warned.

    Nearly 44 pc of patients admitted to Kenyan hospitals are on antibiotics, a prevalence rate that is alarmingly high and driving antimicrobial resistance across the country.

    Antimicrobial Use Technical Lead, UoN Studies, Prof. Margaret Oluka remarked that some of the most prescribed medicines in hospitals fall under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Watch” and “Reserve” categories, including ceftriaxone and meropenem drugs meant to be used sparingly in only the most severe cases.

    Prof. Oluka highlighted that the neonatal units are most affected where antibiotic use exceeds 60 pc often as a precautionary measure for newborns with infections.

    The practice which is sometimes lifesaving exposes vulnerable infants to resistant infections at an early age which limits treatment options.

    “The situation is even more critical in neonatal units, where antibiotic use exceeds 60pc, often as a precautionary measure for newborns with infections.” She remarked.

    Experts caution that such practices, while sometimes lifesaving, expose vulnerable infants to resistant infections early in life and limit treatment options when they truly fall ill.

    The health experts are warning that this alarming trend is undermining the country’s ability to treat common infections and pushing doctors to rely on last-line drugs.

    Speaking at the same forum, Clinical Microbiologist, Dr. Ali Kassim said Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus are among the most common bacteria pathogens causing common infections.

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.

    Antimicrobial resistance is rising worldwide, especially in low income regions such as Southeast Asia, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa.

    Experts say the AMR is being called a “silent pandemic”, but evidence shows it causes more deaths annually (1.9 million) than COVID-19 did in its first year.

    They called on hospitals to follow national guidelines on antibiotic use which emphasize rational prescribing and restrict access to certain medicines to higher-level facilities.

    Further the citizens have been urged to maintain proper hygiene to reduce the burden of disease.

    They highlighted that government has also updated the Kenya Essential Medicines List (KEML) to ensure procurement is guided by resistance data, preventing outdated or ineffective antibiotics from being stocked in hospitals.

    As Kenya prepares to mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week in November, the key message remains simple but urgent: “Don’t take an antibiotic when you don’t need one.”

    WHO says, The World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and increase understanding of AMR and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens. As one of WHO’s official health campaigns, WAAW is mandated by the World Health Assembly and is commemorated annually from 18 to 24 November, with the theme for WAAW 2025 being “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.”

     

     

     

  • AI designs antibiotics for gonorrhoea and MRSA superbugs

    AI designs antibiotics for gonorrhoea and MRSA superbugs

    Artificial intelligence has invented two new potential antibiotics that could kill drug-resistant gonorrhoea and MRSA, researchers have revealed.

    The drugs were designed atom-by-atom by the AI and killed the superbugs in laboratory and animal tests.

    The two compounds still need years of refinement and clinical trials before they could be prescribed

    But the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team behind it say AI could start a “second golden age” in antibiotic discovery.

    Antibiotics kill bacteria, but infections that resist treatment are now causing more than a million deaths a year.

    Overusing antibiotics has helped bacteria evolve to dodge the drugs’ effects, and there has been a shortage of new antibiotics for decades.

    Researchers have previously used AI to trawl through thousands of known chemicals in an attempt to identify ones with potential to become new antibiotics.

    Now, the MIT team have gone one step further by using generative AI to design antibiotics in the first place for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea and for potentially-deadly MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

    Their study, published in the journal Cell, interrogated 36 million compounds including those that either do not exist or have not yet been discovered.

    Scientists trained the AI by giving it the chemical structure of known compounds alongside data on whether they slow the growth of different species of bacteria.

    The AI then learns how bacteria are affected by different molecular structures, built of atoms such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen.

    Two approaches were then tried to design new antibiotics with AI. The first identified a promising starting point by searching through a library of millions of chemical fragments, eight to 19 atoms in size, and built from there. The second gave the AI free rein from the start.

    The design process also weeded out anything that looked too similar to current antibiotics. It also tried to ensure they were inventing medicines rather than soap and to filter out anything predicted to be toxic to humans.

    Scientists used AI to create antibiotics for gonorrhoea and MRSA, a type of bacteria that lives harmlessly on the skin but can cause a serious infection if it enters the body.

    Once manufactured, the leading designs were tested on bacteria in the lab and on infected mice, resulting in two new potential drugs.

    MIT Prof Collins is leading on his laboratory bench, wearing a burgundy shirt, with an array of pieces of scientific equipment out of focus in the background.MIT

    “We’re excited because we show that generative AI can be used to design completely new antibiotics,” Prof James Collins, from MIT, tells the BBC.

    “AI can enable us to come up with molecules, cheaply and quickly and in this way, expand our arsenal, and really give us a leg up in the battle of our wits against the genes of superbugs.”

    However, they are not ready for clinical trials and the drugs will require refinement – estimated to take another one to two year’s work – before the long process of testing them in people could begin.

    I found a bacteria-eating virus in my loo – could it save your life?

    Dr Andrew Edwards, from the Fleming Initiative and Imperial College London, said the work was “very significant” with “enormous potential” because it “demonstrates a novel approach to identifying new antibiotics”.

    But he added: “While AI promises to dramatically improve drug discovery and development, we still need to do the hard yards when it comes to testing safety and efficacy.”

    That can be a long and expensive process with no guarantee that the experimental medicines will be prescribed to patients at the end.

    Some are calling for AI drug discovery more broadly to improve. Prof Collins says “we need better models” that move beyond how well the drugs perform in the laboratory to ones that are a better predictor of their effectiveness in the body.

    There is also an issue with how challenging the AI-designs are to manufacture. Of the top 80 gonorrhoea treatments designed in theory, only two were synthesised to create medicines.

    Prof Chris Dowson, at the University of Warwick, said the study was “cool” and showed AI was a “significant step forward as a tool for antibiotic discovery to mitigate against the emergence of resistance”.

    However, he explains, there is also an economic problem factoring into drug-resistant infections – “how do you make drugs that have no commercial value?”

    If a new antibiotic was invented, then ideally you would use it as little as possible to preserve its effectiveness, making it hard for anyone to turn a profit.

  • Study: Kenya among 14 countries battling widespread drug resistance

    Study: Kenya among 14 countries battling widespread drug resistance

    Kenya is among 14 African countries facing a growing threat from drug resistance.

    Findings from a newly published study reveal that common infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat, more costly to manage, and more prone to spreading.

    The study, known as the Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP), is the largest of its kind ever conducted in Africa. It was led by a coalition including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), One Health Trust, and other regional partners.

    It further underscores the urgent need to strengthen laboratory testing, data systems, and health planning to tackle hard-to-treat infections.

    Researchers reviewed more than 187,000 test results from 205 laboratories, collected between 2016 and 2019 across Burkina Faso, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

    Drug resistance occurs when bacteria change in ways that make antibiotics-medicines used to treat infections, less effective.

    “This means that common infections become harder to treat, more expensive to manage, and more likely to spread”, the researchers state.

    The study examined bacteria that commonly cause serious illness, such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

    One of the most concerning findings was that resistance to a powerful group of antibiotics, known as third-generation cephalosporins, was especially high in Ghana and Malawi.

    In six countries, more than half of the Staphylococcus aureus samples were resistant to methicillin, an antibiotic commonly used in hospitals. In Nigeria and Ghana, resistance levels exceeded 70%.

    The research also showed that some groups are more likely to have drug-resistant infections. People over the age of 65 were 28 per cent more likely to have resistant infections than younger adults.

    Patients already admitted to hospitals had a 24 per cent higher risk, likely due to increased exposure to antibiotics. Previous use of antibiotics was also linked to higher resistance.

    Serious gaps

    However, the study also revealed serious gaps. Fewer than 2 per cent of health facilities were equipped to test for bacterial infections, and only 12 per cent of drug resistance records were linked to patient information.

    “Without this kind of data, it is more difficult for health officials to understand how and why resistance is spreading” the researchers say.

  • Current state of Antimicrobial Resistance in Kenya to be unveiled

    Current state of Antimicrobial Resistance in Kenya to be unveiled

    A three-day interactive forum to launch the current state of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) kicks off this morning at Aga Khan University.

    The event which brings together regional, international medical experts and professionals will provide multidisciplinary interventions for lab technicians, pharmacists, doctors, nurses and community pharmacists to curb the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in Kenya.

    Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global public health and development threats with the World Health Organisation estimating that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.

    In Kenya, research published in The Lancet Global noted that there were 8,500 deaths attributable to AMR and 37,300 deaths associated with AMR, a bigger cause of death than HIV/Aids and malaria in 2019.

    EXPLAINER: WHAT IS AMR

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.

    AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

    Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.