APPLICATION OF AI AGAINST SUPERBUGS

APPLICATION OF AI AGAINST SUPERBUGS ,  RACE IAS : Best IAS Coaching in Lucknow 

Main Examination: General Studies Paper 2,3

(Science and Technology related to Health)

In News:

  • In a major breakthrough for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of medicine, scientists have discovered a new antibiotic.
  • This antibiotic is powerful enough to kill a superbug using AI.

What are Superbugs?

  • Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to many types of antibiotics; They can also be fungi.
  • It occurs when bacteria mutate over time and become resistant to the drugs that are supposed to defeat them and cure the infection they cause.
  • Such resistance directly caused 1.27 million deaths worldwide in 2019.

Antibiotics:

  • Antibiotics are drugs that kill or slow down the growth of bacteria. Doctors prescribe them to treat bacterial infections. They do this by killing bacteria and preventing them from multiplying.
  • Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first natural antibiotic, in 1928.
  • Antibiotics are not able to fight viral infections.

How AI was used to find an Antibiotic against Superbugs

  • Using algorithms: Narrowing down the right antibacterial chemicals against bacteria can be a long, difficult process. The concept of AI is based on the process of machines being given large amounts of data and training themselves to identify patterns and solutions based on them.
  • The researchers first exposed A. baumannii grown in a lab dish to nearly 7,500 different chemical compounds to see which might help inhibit the growth of the bacterium. Then they fed the structure of each molecule into a machine-learning model.
  • They also told the model whether each structure could inhibit bacterial growth. This allowed the algorithm to learn the chemical characteristics associated with the growth inhibitor.
  • Analysis of the results: Once the model was trained, the researchers used it to analyze a set of 6,680 compounds. This analysis took less than two hours and yielded a few hundred results.
  • Of these, the researchers selected 240 to test experimentally in the laboratory, focusing on compounds that differed from existing antibiotics.
  • Discovery of abocin: Those trials yielded nine antibiotics, one of which was very potent and effective in killing Acinetobacter baumannii. It has been named Abusin.
  • Acinetobacter Baumannii:
  • In 2017, the bacterium was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the world's most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
  • A. Baumannii is difficult to eradicate and can lead to pneumonia, meningitis and infected wounds, all of which can lead to death.
  • A. Baumannii is commonly found in hospital settings, where it can survive for long periods of time on surfaces.

Antibiotics Resistance:

  • Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of antibiotics. This ultimately jeopardizes the ability of drugs to treat common infectious diseases.
  • Not humans or animals but bacteria become antibiotic resistant. These bacteria can infect humans and animals, and infections caused by them are more difficult to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.
  • Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally, but the misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is speeding up the process.

Concerns about Antibiotic Resistance:

  • Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security and development today.
  • An increasing number of infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and salmonellosis are becoming more difficult to treat as the antibiotics used to treat them become less effective.
  • Resistance to a powerful class of antibiotics called carbapenems – that defeat many pathogens – had risen by 10% in just one year.
  • The situation is so worrying that only 43% of pneumonia infections caused by a single pathogen in India can be treated with first-line antibiotics in 2021, up from 65% in 2016.
  • Antibiotic resistance causes higher medical costs, longer hospital stays and increased mortality.

 

 

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Why Protests are rising:

  • Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics is increasing the incidence of antibiotic resistance.
  • Sometimes the wrong prescription - or the wrong dose - can lead to antibiotic misuse.
  • During the chaotic treatment of COVID-19, patients were treated with antibiotics which resulted in more adverse effects.
  • Misuse can also happen when people do not take antibiotics as prescribed by their doctor.
  • A widespread lack of knowledge about antibiotics means that most patients - rural and urban - are not aware of antibiotic resistance. Even rich and educated people take antibiotics when they fall ill or force doctors to prescribe antibiotics.

Preventive Measures:

  • Some measures people can take include completing the course of treatment and not sharing antibiotics with others, even if they have the same symptoms.
  • Using antibiotics only when necessary: Most doctors only prescribe antibiotics if a person cannot live without them.
  • Using the least effective treatment: While it is important to take all the antibiotics prescribed by the doctor, exactly as directed, the doctor will prescribe the shortest course possible.
  • not using antibiotics for viral infections: antibiotics have no effect on diseases caused by viruses, such as the flu, and using antibiotics incorrectly in this way can contribute to drug resistance .
  • Experts believe that to tackle the growing threat of superbugs, India needs to invest more in diagnostic laboratories, produce more infectious disease doctors, reduce hospital infections and educate doctors on the use of antibiotics based on trials. Otherwise, resistance to antibiotics has the potential to become an epidemic in the near future.

Source: Indian Express

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Mains Exam Question

Recently researchers have discovered a new antibiotics by the application of AI. Discuss the possibilities and concerns associated with these antibiotics.