Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, making them difficult to treat. They infect over 2 million people in the US each year and kill 23,000. The rise of superbugs is caused by misuse and overuse of antibiotics and is considered a major global health threat. Common multidrug-resistant superbugs include CRE, MRSA, and C. difficile. New approaches to fighting superbugs include using bacteriophages, combining drugs, and activating nanoparticles with light to generate ions that target specific bacterial cells.

2. Fighting Superbugs
RANI SUMMEYA SEME 33

3. Superbugs
 Bacteria resistant to
 Multiple types of antibiotics
 Cause severe bacterial infections
 Extremely difficult to treat
 Infect more than 2 million people
 Kill at least 23,000 people nationwide

4. Term Usage
 Originally coined by the media
 To describe bacteria that cannot be killed using
multiple antibiotics
 Doctors often use phrases like multidrug-
resistant bacteria
 Because a superbug isn't necessarily
resistant to all antibiotics

5.  Superbugs aren't specific types of bacteria
 All bacteria spp. can turn into superbugs
 Misusing antibiotics
 Taking to treat viral infection
 Eventually doctors will run out of antibiotics to
treat them

6. The rise of superbugs is
the global threat of
antimicrobial resistance.

7. “
”
The rise of antimicrobial resistance
is a global crisis, recognized as one
of the greatest threats to health
today. It is a slow motion tsunami.
Dr. Margaret Chan, then- director general of WHO 2016.

8. On January 2019 CNN emphasized on this matter by writing
‘Drug resistant superbugs are as big a threat to the world
As climate change or war’

9. Drug resistant infections will
kill an extra 10M people a year
world wide. More than
currently die for cancer- by
2050 unless action is taken
And left unchecked, deaths would rise more than 10 fold by 2050

10. Common superbugs

11. Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae
(CRE)
Found in stomachs,
Cause life-threatening blood infections
Are resistant to all antibiotics

12. Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter
 Acinetobacter baumannii
 Found in
 Soil
 Water
 Skin
 Most common in hospitals

13. Neisseria gonorrhoeae
 causes the STD gonorrheae

14. MRSA
 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus
 Difficult-to-treat

15. Clostridium difficile
Found in
intestines
Can overgrow
Cause severe
diarrhea
Passed
spores
In bathrooms
On clothing
and
Not treated, C.
diff can be

16. Fighting Superbugs
 Bacteriophages
 Small Streptomyces molecules
 Traditional Medicine
 Combining Existing Drugs
 Molecular Drills
 Double Trojan Horse Drug
 Blue Light
 Nanoparticles

17. Nanoparticles
New
tool
Stable
Easy to
deliver
Readily
incorporated
into cells
Nanoscale
quantum
dots are used
• To kill drug-
resistant
superbugs
• Without
harming the
surrounding
healthy tissue

18. Working of Nanoparticles
Once introduced into the body
• The quantum dots do nothing until
• Activated by having a light shined on them
• Any visible light source can be used for this
• A lamp
• Room light
• Sunlight
Topical infections on the skin

19. Contiue…
When activated by light
• Quantum dots start generating electrons
• Attach to dissolved oxygen in the cells
• Creating radical ions
Ions interrupt biochemical reactions
• Cells rely on for communication
• Basic life functions
Target and kill specific bacterial cells
• That cause illnesses