[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_image=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_7154-2.jpg”][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”3.0.89″ title=”Meeting resistance: Canadian researchers battle the emergence of microbes that medicine can’t kill” subhead=”By Clarissa Leir-Taha and Lia Pizarro ” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”on” header_scroll_down=”off” image_orientation=”center” background_layout=”dark” content_orientation=”bottom” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_icon_placement=”right” custom_button_two=”off” button_two_icon_placement=”right” title_font_size=”43px” title_font=”Verdana|600|||||||” subhead_font=”|600|||||||” text_shadow_style=”preset2″ subhead_text_shadow_style=”preset2″ subhead_font_size=”20px” title_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ \/][et_pb_fullwidth_code _builder_version=”3.0.89″][Photo \u00a9 Lia Pizarro][\/et_pb_fullwidth_code][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.89″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.89″][et_pb_column type=”3_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_font_size=”16px” text_text_color=”#545454″]<\/p>\n
Tucked away in a laboratory at Carleton University, biology professor Alex Wong,\u00a0is seeking to answer an important question: how are genetics affecting the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” text_font_size=”15px”]<\/p>\n Wong\u2019s current test-subject is antibiotic resistant E. coli, a strain of the bacteria that can\u2019t be killed by antibiotic drugs. \u00a0Certain strains of E. coli or Escherichia coli can be potentially fatal if contracted, and is one of the many examples of a type of bacteria that has mutated so that it can no longer be killed by common antimicrobials.<\/p>\n Granted $600,000 from the Canadian Institute for Health Research, Wong\u2019s work is part of a four-year multi-national research initiative that is studying how evolutionary theory can be used to predict the fitness of antibiotic resistant organisms in varying environments.<\/p>\n Antibiotics are one of modern medicine\u2019s most precious resources and are used in everything from surgeries to treating common infections. But, what happens when antibiotics don\u2019t work?\u00a0 The adaptation of bacteria to no longer be susceptible to drugs is a growing concern that threatens to disrupt modern medical practice.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a huge public health issue. \u00a0If we lose important antibiotics or if antibiotics stop being useful, then we can\u2019t treat infections,\u201d said Wong.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Alex Wong photo” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ src=”https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_6762.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” force_fullwidth=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” align=”left” \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n Alex Wong, Associate Professor with the Department of Biology at Carleton University\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_blurb _builder_version=”3.0.89″ title=”What is Antimicrobial Resistance? ” url_new_window=”off” use_icon=”off” use_circle=”off” use_circle_border=”off” icon_placement=”top” use_icon_font_size=”off” background_layout=”light” header_font_size=”20″ text_shadow_blur_strength=”0.3em” header_font=”||on||||||”]<\/p>\n Antimicrobial resistance or AMR is the \u201cability of a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it,\u201d according to the World Health Organization.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n If an AMR organism causes an infection, standard antibiotic treatments are ineffective, meaning a typically curable illness cannot be treated using customary treatment methods. \u00a0Cases of AMR resistance have appeared in patients seeking treatment for illnesses ranging from E. Coli to gonorrhea. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”A new report on… Text” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” text_font_size=”15px”]<\/p>\n Wong\u2019s side of research is specifically working to find out if certain genetic backgrounds are more suitable for resistance mutations and therefore are more likely to be found in strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria.\u00a0 Evolution overlaps with the concept of antibiotic resistance because organisms slowly adapt over time and develop mutations to aid in their survival, in this case to prevent being killed off by antibiotics.<\/p>\n In collaboration with partners from the University of Ottawa, Denmark, and Portugal, Wong\u2019s work is one part of a growing tide of Canadian policy and research that has been dedicated to solving the growing global health threat of antibiotic resistance.<\/p>\n A new report<\/a> released by the World Health Organization, shows \u201chigh levels\u201d of antibiotic resistant bacteria are present worldwide, raising concerns that common yet potentially dangerous infections are increasingly becoming drug resistant. \u00a0The data in question is the first to be released from the WHO\u2019s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS), an initiative launched in 2015 to track and combat worldwide antimicrobial resistance.<\/p>\n Enrolled in the program since November 2016, Canada has been one of the most proactive participants in the program, being one of only 22 countries to supply surveillance data to GLASS.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Quote and Text” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light”]<\/p>\n \u201cWe are interested in understanding the genetic basis of antibiotic resistance, and in predicting the evolution of resistance. My lab is particularly interested in the fitness of different resistance mutations on different genetic backgrounds, and in different environments. This work will help to manage the spread of antibiotic resistance.\u201d \u2013 Alex Wong,\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_gallery _builder_version=”3.0.89″ posts_number=”8″ show_title_and_caption=”on” show_pagination=”off” gallery_ids=”3320,3321,3324,3329,3325,3326,3322″ fullwidth=”on” orientation=”landscape” zoom_icon_color=”#e2932b” hover_overlay_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” background_layout=”light” pagination_font_size_tablet=”51″ pagination_line_height_tablet=”2″ hover_icon=”%%32%%” pagination_font=”|600|||||||” pagination_font_size=”0″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.89″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”According to Wong…Text” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” text_font_size=”15px”]<\/p>\n According to Wong, while AMR has been a recognized problem since the discovery of penicillin in the 1920s, policy development on the issue has been slow, and only in the past few years has AMR been prioritized by the Canadian government.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the 2000s and up until 2010, many resistant pathogens really increased in frequency,\u201d said Wong.<\/p>\n Though national monitoring programs did exist in that period, Wong said their implementation was \u201cspotty.\u201d\u00a0 With growing global attention placed on the issue, AMR surveillance and policy development in Canada has received significant federal attention within the past five years.<\/p>\n In 2015, the Canadian government published the Federal Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance and Use in Canada, a document which outlines federal work against AMR until 2019. \u00a0\u00a0Surveillance, stewardship and innovation are all named as key focus areas in the framework for action.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Michael Mulvey…Text ” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” text_font_size=”15px”]<\/p>\n While Wong\u2019s work is focused on experimentation and research, equal efforts are being placed on the surveillance side of the issue, particularly in developing programs that better monitor the frequency of AMR organisms in Canada.<\/p>\n Michael Mulvey is the chief of Antimicrobial Resistance and Nosocomial Infections at the Public Health Agency of Canada.\u00a0 Mulvey\u2019s work at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg encompasses identifying types of antibiotic resistant organisms, infection control, and federal surveillance programs.<\/p>\n \u201cSo how big of a problem is it in Canada? Where is the problem? Is it in our communities, is it in our hospitals, are we seeing it in sewage, is it in animals?\u2019\u201d said Mulvey.<\/p>\n Through the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program, Mulvey\u2019s team provides laboratory support for over 60 hospitals across Canada that are used to monitor for a select number of antibiotic resistant organisms. \u00a0After data is collected, it is used to produce an annual surveillance system report<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand how many antibiotics are being used in the hospitals, and we combine that with our antibiotic resistance data for the bacteria that we\u2019re collecting, to see if this usage is driving some of the resistance we\u2019re seeing,\u201d said Mulvey.<\/p>\n Tackling why AMR bacteria is spreading at concerning rates is a top priority for both researchers and surveillance experts.<\/p>\n However, despite focused research initiatives, experts say there isn\u2019t a singular solution to slowing the continued evolution of bacteria against antibiotics. \u00a0One answer is simply reducing the prescription rates of antibiotics.<\/p>\n \u201cAMR is spreading so quickly because we\u2019re using so many antibiotics. We use a lot in humans and we use a lot in animals,\u201d said Wong.<\/p>\n While health care professionals are aware of the issue, antibiotics are a necessity to common surgeries and treatments, and without them many routine procedures would become much riskier, he added.<\/p>\n Instead of cutting out antibiotics all together, the key lies within only using antibiotics when necessary.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”A report released… Text” _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_layout=”light” text_font_size=”15px”]<\/p>\nH.H.J. Nesbitt Biology Building – Laboratory<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Watchful Eyes<\/h3>\n
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Wising Up<\/h3>\n