Factors that promote the progression of antibiotic resistance

The excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics remains one of the main factors. According to him, these drugs are often wrongly prescribed, especially for viral infections against which they are ineffective. “Self-medication, which consists in taking antibiotics without medical advice, considerably worsens this problem,” he explains.

• The poor observance of antibiotic treatments by patients. On this subject, the specialist considers that the premature judgment of cures, the irregular taking of doses or the non-compliance with medical prescriptions allow the most resistant bacteria to survive and multiply. “In hospitals, the situation is exacerbated by the pressure exerted by the massive use of broad spectrum antibiotics, which promotes the emergence of multidistant bacteria,” he adds.
• Health establishments represent, according to Pr. Achouri, places at high risk of diffusion of resistant bacteria. To this end, he explains that the cross -transmission between patients, often favored by insufficiently respected hygiene rules (such as hand washing or disinfection of medical equipment), largely contributes to the dissemination of these resistant strains within hospitals.
• The veterinary and agricultural sector also plays a key role in this phenomenon. Indeed, antibiotics are widely used there, not only to treat animal infections, but also as a preventive basis or as growth factors, especially in poultry farms. And it is precisely this intensive use which multiplies, according to Pr. ACHOURI, the risks of resistance development which can be transmitted to humans through food or the environment.
• Globalization amplifies the speed of propagation. “International trips, trade and population mobility promotes the circulation of resistant bacteria from one country to another, thus making their control,” said Pr. Achouri.
• For example, the specialist says that although it is a virus, the COVVI-19 pandemic perfectly illustrates the way in which an infectious agent can quickly cross borders and spread on a global scale, a comparable phenomenon for certain resistant bacteria.