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For Shaun smillie 
3h ago
Johannesburg – In a laboratory at Free State University, a strain of bacteria shows an adaptation that scientists are concerned about.
The Serratia marcescens strain of bacteria has become resistant to disinfectants and this could be a sign of things to come when humanity could end up facing a pandemic worse than Covid-19.
“It is not considered a serious human pathogen, but this strain that we have isolated is extremely resistant to disinfectants,” said Professor Robert Bragg, who is director of the Veterinary Biotechnology group at the University of the Free State.
In a world where disinfectants have become one of the front-line weapons in the fight against the spread of Covid-19, scientists like Bragg worry that the pandemic contributes to the evolution of strains of bacteria that are not just resistant. to drugs, but also resistant to disinfectants.
“Ten years ago, no one really thought about disinfectant resistance,” explained Bragg. “Now the whole concept is on the mend and is becoming a problem. There is a growing concern that due to Covid, all men and their dogs spray you with some arbitrary unknown disinfectant every time you enter any place. And there is often very limited quality control. “
Bacteria other than S. marcescens have also been found to be highly resistant to various commercially available disinfectants. Fortunately, they are still rare.
“Good quality registered disinfectants are generally fine,” explained Bragg. “But there is very little control over what is used.
“If you dilute alcohol-based sanitizers even a little bit, they won’t be effective. Also, many hand sanitizers contain very low levels of other sanitizers. It’s like you have a very good chemical weapon and you show them very low concentrations of this and it allows them to build up resistance. “
This, coupled with growing antibiotic resistance in bacteria, could soon overshadow the current Covid-19 pandemic.
“Bacterial infections that are present in hospitals and agriculture are becoming unresponsive to many of the antibiotics currently in use, marking the beginning of a post-antibiotic era,” said Samantha McCarlie, master’s student and laboratory manager. , it’s a statement.
By 2050, antimicrobial resistance has been predicted to cause as many deaths as cancer causes today, and could account for between 10 and 50 million deaths a year.
These so-called superbugs have already been found in hospitals across the country.
“It’s a scary problem because we’ve run out of antibiotics,” Bragg said.
In the Veterinary Biotechnology group, Bragg and his team are looking for ways to prevent bacteria from developing resistance to disinfectants.
Part of your research is understanding how S marcescens is developing resistance to disinfectants, at the molecular level.
His research includes taking environmental samples and testing levels of resistance to disinfectants.
“Once the mechanisms are identified, possible solutions can be investigated,” McCarlie said.
They can then make recommendations to hospitals and the agricultural industry on how to combat these insects.
Undergraduate students are also being used to evaluate different hand sanitizers as part of their practical training.
Vanessa Carter is an advocate for antimicrobials and has experienced firsthand the dangers of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
In 2011, she developed a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection, which was related to a car accident that she had had seven years earlier.
The infection nearly killed her.
“What is very scary is what I have witnessed and is when we talk about these antibacterials in these hand sanitizers, people sometimes get scared because they say it will become resistant anyway so I should not sanitize my hands” Carter said .
She believes that the best way to combat antibiotic and disinfectant resistance is through education, and that the Covid-19 pandemic has helped with that.
“We have to realize that we cannot control nature, we have to respect nature,” he said.
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