On September 18th, the White House released a strategy plan to curb further spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

According to CDC, 23,000 illnesses and 2 million deaths are cause by antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year (1).

Bacteria

Image taken by scanning electron microscope shows antibiotic (methicillin) resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, (round, yellow) killing and escaping from human white blood cell (red).
Image Courtesy of NIAID/NIH

The national strategy includes creating surveillance of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well as increasing funds and incentives for researchers to develop new antibiotics and to detect antibiotic-resistant infections.

Researchers have warned of this phenomenon for many years now. Compared to citizens of other industrialized countries, Americans use antibiotics much more frequently. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, antibiotic usage in America is twice as high as that in Germany and the Netherlands.

John Holdren, director of the White House office of science and technology, says that antibiotic resistance is not only a local health concern but also poses a possible threat to national security.

“What one sees in the possibility of having infections against which we have no remaining antibiotic is the potential for runaway spread of infection…that could undermine social stability,” Holdren says. “We see the potential for an enormous increase in cost to the economy, which would reduce the capacity of the country to respond to other threats.”

The White House report was released at the same time as one by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The PCAST suggests allowing a $900 million budget to develop speedy clinical trails of new antibiotics (2).

The report also calls for antibiotic-stewardship programs to be implemented in hospitals to monitor distribution of antibiotic drugs. Recent studies indicate that 30-50% of antibiotics prescribed in hospitals are unnecessary (3).

Along with the report, the White House also announced a $20 million competition sponsored by the National Institute of Health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, and the Food and Drug Administration for developing a rapid test for antibiotic-resistant infections.

Many experts, however, are still disappointed and skeptical of the reports, saying that the issue of antibiotic usage for livestock has been virtually ignored. According to a new report by the FDA, approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are for farm animals. Livestock are often fed antibiotics to prevent infections from spreading when animals are packed together and to make the animals grow faster (4).

Currently, all 26 major antibiotic manufacturing companies have adopted guidelines set by the PCAST to change labels on their drugs so that they are not marketed to fatten animals and require veterinary prescription for their drugs.

Sources:

1. CDC. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/threat-report-2013/ (accessed September 23, 2014)

2. White House. National Strategy for Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/carb_national_strategy.pdf (accessed September 23, 2014)

3. CDC. Get Smart for Healthcare

http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/healthcare/ (accessed September 23, 2014)

4. Sarah Reardon. “White House takes aim at antibiotic resistance.” Nature Magazine, http://www.nature.com/news/white-house-takes-aim-at-antibiotic-resistance-1.15962 (accessed September 23, 2014)

5. United States Food and Drug Administration. “Summary report on antimicrobials sold or distributed for use in food-producing animals.” Available at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForIndustry/UserFees/AnimalDrugUserFeeActADUFA/UCM231851.pdf (accessed September 23, 2014)

6. White House. Report to the President on Combating Antibiotic Resistance. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/PCAST/pcast_carb_report_sept2014.pdf (accessed September 23, 2014)