Journal of Antimicrobial Agents

An Overview of New Delhi Metallo-Beta Lactamase-1 and Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase Producing Bacteria: Need for an Alternate

Abstract

Chandar B, Pati S and Bhattacharya D

Resistance to antibiotics is increasing dangerously worldwide. The emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is no more a local problem and calls for global action. It has become a leading challenge in infectious diseases management. The effectiveness of current drugs is restricted by emergence of multi-drug resistant bacterial strains and they have become the major reason for treatment failure of infections. Antimicrobial agents were initially highly successful in treating infections; however, their unsound use leads to rise in antimicrobial resistance frighteningly, especially in the developing countries. With the emergence of New Delhi Metallo-beta lactamase-1 and Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase producing bacteria the clinicians are left with a very limited choice of treating the common infections. The recent situation calls for an urgent need for search of alternatives like herbal medicine which has shown potential in treating various other ailments. Because herbs are plants, they are often perceived as “natural” and therefore safe. Development of plant based compounds and combinational therapies using compounds may provide safer options for the community. Research should focus on scrutinizing compounds from plants for a target and bioactivity based drug discovery. However, the safety of using most herbs with drugs is not well established. Some herbs are known to interact with pharmaceutical drugs, although most of this information comes from case reports rather than systematic investigations. Because many herbs contain pharmacologically active compounds, some herbs may cause side effects through excessive biological effects. Unfortunately, the true frequency of side effects for most herbs is not known because most have not been tested in large clinical trials and because surveillance systems are much less extensive than those in place for pharmaceutical products. There is also a need for a strict regulations and policy in place for the use of herbal drugs or compounds of herbal origin in treatment of various common bacterial infections.