What once was believed to be magic is having an international rebellion?

Written by Aayushi Bhattarai

We’ve all had the flu, right? Well, imagine a world where even the flu becomes deadly, where no matter what medications you took, it wouldn’t take effect on you. Sounds like a dystopian scenario, only it’s not. It’s happening, and it has been happening since the introduction of effective antimicrobials in 1937 (Davies and Davies, 2010). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the culprit of 5 million deaths in 2019 and is expected to skyrocket to 10 million in 2050 (CDC, 2024). Knowing the sheer amount of impact AMR is expected to have, we have to act fast and act now to prevent millions of lives being lost.

With the increasing use and misuse of antimicrobials, microorganisms have developed AMR. But what exactly is AMR? AMR refers to the potential of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites to thrive and continue to grow in the midst of drugs designed to kill them (Salam et al., 2023).

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that cause infections resist the effects of medicines used to treat them, known as super bugs. These resistant bacteria can spread and may infect people or animals (Australian government, 2017) . As they are non-resistant, it becomes that much harder to treat them.

Since the development of antibiotics, it has saved millions of lives. Though now, and even back then, due to such bacteria and viruses developing resistance to antibiotics, humanity has been locked in a constant arms race against evolving microbes. Now, their resistance is spreading faster than our ability to develop new cures.

There have been some efforts in order to combat this silent pandemic. WHO’s Global Action Plan addressed in 2015 promoted a global collaboration to tackle AMR (World Health Organization, 2016). The One Health initiative is an approach that recognizes AMR isn’t just a problem for humans, but that it’s a problem for animals, plants, and the environment as well. Through One Health, professionals with expertise in each sector work together to provide a holistic approach to limit the spread of resistance across the varied forms of life.

With such a scientific issue at hand, scientific innovation is the field to look at when investing in hope for tackling and preventing AMR, specifically, phage therapy. Phage therapy is a type of therapy that utilizes viruses that specifically target bacteria. This is an alternative approach compared to antibiotics (Abedon et al., 2011). These viruses are highly specific, as they kill bacteria by injecting their genetic material and forcing the bacteria to produce more phages until the cell bursts. It is however important to note that this is still an experimental treatment.

Researchers are also exploring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are natural molecules that can destroy resistant bacteria without harming human cells. They are naturally occurring small proteins that play a crucial role in the body’s defense system against a wide range of pathogens (Bucataru and Ciobanasu, 2024). These peptides work by disrupting bacterial cell membranes, effectively killing microbes before they can spread or mutate (Bucataru and Ciobanasu, 2024). Moreover, because AMPs target bacteria in multiple ways rather than through a single mechanism, it’s much harder for microbes to develop resistance against them, making AMPs a promising solution in the fight against AMR (Bucataru and Ciobanasu, 2024).

As humans, we should be advancing, where diseases and viruses become a minor problem. The majority of us have been able to come to that stage, though due to AMR, some have been left, and we can’t leave them behind. We have to come together, regardless of what side of “advancity” we are on and fight against AMR. Whether this be by spreading awareness on how to prevent AMR, hosting fundraisers to raise money for AMR research, etc. It is only when we come together can we outpace resistance itself and safeguard the future of global health for generations to come.

References:

1. Abedon, S.T., Kuhl, S.J., Blasdel, B.G. and Kutter, E.M. (2011). Phage treatment of human infections. Bacteriophage, [online] 1(2), pp.66–85. doi:https://doi.org/10.4161/bact.1.2.15845.
2. Australian government (2017). What is AMR? | Antimicrobial resistance. [online] Antimicrobial resistance. Available at: https://www.amr.gov.au/about-amr/what-amr [Accessed 12 Oct. 2025].
3. Bucataru, C. and Ciobanasu, C. (2024). Antimicrobial Peptides: Opportunities and Challenges in Overcoming Resistance. Microbiological Research, [online] 286, p.127822. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.127822.
4. CDC (2024). Antimicrobial Resistance Facts and Stats. [online] Antimicrobial Resistance. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/data-research/facts-stats/index.html [Accessed 12 Oct. 2025].
5. Davies, J. and Davies, D. (2010). Origins and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 74(3), pp.417–433.
6. Salam, M.A., Al-Amin, M.Y., Salam, M.T., Pawar, J.S., Akhter, N., Rabaan, A.A. and Alqumber, M.A.A. (2023). Antimicrobial Resistance: a Growing Serious Threat for Global Public Health. Healthcare, [online] 11(13). doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11131946.
7. World Health Organization (2016). Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. [online] www.who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241509763.