Bacteria that no longer react to antibiotics… Difficult to imagine for many, this nightmare is nevertheless looming on the horizon. More and more people are affected by infections that are difficult or impossible to treat because the bacteria that cause them have become impervious to available medications.
Superbugs
Myriam, a 62-year-old from Brussels, learned 5 years ago that a resistant bacteria had lodged in her lungs. “I went on vacation to Asia in March 2019 with bronchitis. Not ideal for such a trip, but my doctor reassured me, telling me that I would be much better after a few days thanks to antibiotic treatment.”
Unfortunately, things got worse: “I was coughing up more and more yellow and green phlegm and felt exhausted. One morning I also coughed up blood. I rushed to the emergency room in Hanoi.” After treatment by a French pulmonologist and a battery of tests (including a CT scan and a bronchoscopy), the verdict was in: the Pseudomonas aeruginosahad settled deep in Myriam’s lungs. A superbug against which antibiotics can do nothing.
“I was obviously in shock. I thought I was going to die. And of course, I also asked myself: why me? As far as I knew, I took all the antibiotic treatments that had been prescribed until the last tablet But we also give antibiotics to cattle, and the consumption of certain foods can cause antibiotic resistance. Moreover, more and more people are concerned. also happened, I guess Anyway, in my family we have a predisposition to asthma. So my lungs are my weak point. And then, maybe I have a weaker immune system. because I’ve worked so hard all my life… I don’t know. The fact is you can’t get rid of this bacteria.”
Preventive measures
Myriam tries to put the impact of this illness on her life into perspective. “My pulmonologist hasn’t given me a timeline, but I can grow old with this bacteria if I continue to take preventative measures to boost my immunity and avoid infections. Of course, that’s what I do. The three main pillars are: healthy diet, adequate exercise and avoiding alcohol. Additionally, I always wear a mouth mask when taking public transportation or going to crowded places. Since COVID, people are used to it and things are going better. But that wasn’t the case before… I don’t take the plane anymore, because it’s a real breeding ground for bacteria.”
Impact
But the consequences don’t stop there. “I tried to continue working full time, but it didn’t work. I cough a lot, it’s exhausting. I deal with illness every day. I have to try to keep my lungs as clean as possible, which I do by coughing up mucus. I have a special machine for this, which clears the lungs. Three times a week, I also go to the physiotherapist, where they help me evacuate the mucus that accumulates. This is not what you call fun. It is still a yellow and green substance, evidence that the lungs remain infected. There is also sometimes blood coming from small vessels that burst, but sometimes also from the depths of my lungs, and there, I have to be attentive to that.”
In recent years, Myriam’s state of health was quite stable and required only one annual hospitalization, for a 10-day intravenous antibiotic treatment. “This helps eliminate all the other bacteria (which isn’t resistant yet) and the mucus (which I can’t cough up). So preventive treatment to avoid anything that could give rise to an infection. Pneumonia would be life-threatening.”
For the second time in 2024, Myriam packs her suitcase to go to the hospital. “Things are not going so well. Unfortunately, the bacteria are not under control and I have had an extremely stressful year. Stress is absolutely no gift for the immune system. I hope that next year, just one cure will be sufficient.”
Alternative therapies
Has Myriam ever considered alternative therapies? “Yes of course. I have nothing to lose. And every little bit can help. My pulmonologist knows that I am on the front line for new treatment methods. I asked her several times if phage therapy* could be an option, but she is not in favor of it, as this treatment has not yet been approved in Europe. I also read that the Tasmanian devil (a marsupial that lives on the island of Tasmania, south of Australia) will also kill resistant bacteria.
“Of course, I want to believe anything that can help me get better (laughs). But above all I try to live as well and normally as possible. I still work part-time and take good care of myself. And I say to everyone who has to take antibiotics: complete the treatment! There are still people who don’t do it because they feel better quickly, but that’s how you create resistant bacteria. I am obviously well aware of this today.”
More information on antibiotic resistance?
Visit the website Parlonsantibiotiques.be
*Medical treatment in which bacteriophages – viruses capable of infecting and killing bacteria – are used to fight bacterial infections.
Bacteria that no longer react to antibiotics… Difficult to imagine for many, this nightmare is nevertheless looming on the horizon. More and more people are affected by infections that are difficult or impossible to treat because the bacteria that cause them have become impervious to available medications.
Superbugs
Myriam, a 62-year-old from Brussels, learned 5 years ago that a resistant bacteria had lodged in her lungs. “I went on vacation to Asia in March 2019 with bronchitis. Not ideal for such a trip, but my doctor reassured me, telling me that I would be much better after a few days thanks to antibiotic treatment.”
Unfortunately, things got worse: “I was coughing up more and more yellow and green phlegm and felt exhausted. One morning I also coughed up blood. I rushed to the emergency room in Hanoi.” After treatment by a French pulmonologist and a battery of tests (including a CT scan and a bronchoscopy), the verdict was in: the Pseudomonas aeruginosahad settled deep in Myriam’s lungs. A superbug against which antibiotics can do nothing.
“I was obviously in shock. I thought I was going to die. And of course, I also asked myself: why me? As far as I knew, I took all the antibiotic treatments that had been prescribed until the last tablet But we also give antibiotics to cattle, and the consumption of certain foods can cause antibiotic resistance. Moreover, more and more people are concerned. also happened, I guess Anyway, in my family we have a predisposition to asthma. So my lungs are my weak point. And then, maybe I have a weaker immune system. because I’ve worked so hard all my life… I don’t know. The fact is you can’t get rid of this bacteria.”
Preventative measures
Myriam tries to put the impact of this illness on her life into perspective. “My pulmonologist hasn’t given me a timeline, but I can grow old with this bacteria if I continue to take preventative measures to boost my immunity and avoid infections. Of course, that’s what I do. The three main pillars are: healthy diet, adequate exercise and avoiding alcohol. Additionally, I always wear a mouth mask when taking public transportation or going to crowded places. Since COVID, people are used to it and things are going better. But that wasn’t the case before… I don’t take the plane anymore, because it’s a real breeding ground for bacteria.”
Impact
But the consequences don’t stop there. “I tried to continue working full time, but it didn’t work. I cough a lot, it’s exhausting. I deal with illness every day. I have to try to keep my lungs as clean as possible, which I do by coughing up mucus. I have a special machine for this, which clears the lungs. Three times a week, I also go to the physiotherapist, where they help me evacuate the mucus that accumulates. This is not what you call fun. It is still a yellow and green substance, evidence that the lungs remain infected. There is also sometimes blood coming from small vessels that burst, but sometimes also from the depths of my lungs, and there, I have to be attentive to that.”
In recent years, Myriam’s state of health was quite stable and required only one annual hospitalization, for a 10-day intravenous antibiotic treatment. “This helps eliminate all the other bacteria (which isn’t resistant yet) and the mucus (which I can’t cough up). So preventive treatment to avoid anything that could give rise to an infection. Pneumonia would be life-threatening.”
For the second time in 2024, Myriam packs her suitcase to go to the hospital. “Things are not going so well. Unfortunately, the bacteria are not under control and I have had an extremely stressful year. Stress is absolutely no gift for the immune system. I hope that next year, just one cure will be sufficient.”
Alternative therapies
Has Myriam ever considered alternative therapies? “Yes of course. I have nothing to lose. And every little bit can help. My pulmonologist knows that I am on the front line for new treatment methods. I asked her several times if phage therapy* could be an option, but she is not in favor of it, as this treatment has not yet been approved in Europe. I also read that the Tasmanian devil (a marsupial that lives on the island of Tasmania, south of Australia) will also kill resistant bacteria.
“Of course, I want to believe anything that can help me get better (laughs). But above all I try to live as well and normally as possible. I still work part-time and take good care of myself. And I say to everyone who has to take antibiotics: complete the treatment! There are still people who don’t do it because they feel better quickly, but that’s how you create resistant bacteria. I am obviously well aware of this today.”
More information on antibiotic resistance?
Visit the website Parlonsantibiotiques.be
*Medical treatment in which bacteriophages – viruses capable of infecting and killing bacteria – are used to fight bacterial infections.
