Reader\'s Digest AU NZ 03.2020

centralEuropeancountriesformany
years. However,clinicaltrialsof
phagesareneededand,asDrBrown
pointsout,atpresent“it’sdifficultto
pinpointwhichbacteriophageyou
needandwhenyouwoulduseit.”
“Antibodytherapyspecificallytar-
getinga certainbacteriumcouldbe
useful,”suggestsUtrecht’sProfessor
Bonten.ScientistsfromtheGerman
CancerResearchCentreinHeidel-
berg,recentlysucceededinusingan-
tibodiesfromhealthypeopletoattach
tosugarstructuresonKlebsiellapneu-
moniaebacteriatoprotectagainst
commonantibiotic-resistanthospital
infectionssuchaspneumonia,UTIs
andsepticaemia.
AttheEuropeanMolecularBiology
Laboratory,scientistshavebeenlook-
ingatcombiningexistingantibiotics
withothertypesofdrugs,andeven
foodadditives,tomakethemmore
effective.Theyfoundthatvanillin,
whichgivesvanillaitsflavour,helped
theantibioticspectinomycintoen-
terbacterialcellsandinhibittheir
growth.Spectinomycinhadbeenused
totreatgonorrhoea,buthaslargely
fallenoutofcirculationduetoantibi-
oticresistance.
Untilthesetwinklesinscientists’
eyesbecomea treatmentreality,weall
needtojointhebattletocutunneces-
saryandinappropriateuseofantibi-
otics.“Eachofushasanindividual
shareofthecommonresponsibility
forkeepingantibioticsworkinginthe
future,” says Monnet of the ECDC.

◆Washyourhandsregularlywith

soapandwaterfor 20 seconds.

◆Favourhandwashingover

antibacterialgels.

◆Avoidantibacterialwipesand

sprayswhencleaningsurfaces.

◆Don’taskyourdoctorfor

antibiotics.

◆Nevertakethemif they’re

notprescribed.

◆Takethemexactlyasdirected.

◆Keepyourvaccinations

uptodate.

◆Prepareandcookfoodproperly,

andkeeprawmeatseparatefrom

vegetablesandeatingutensils.

◆Whenyoufall ill, stay at home

and rest.

HOWTOCOMBAT

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

55

Keep Antibiotics Working