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Antibiotic Efficacy: Increased Resistance of Human Pathogens

Biswa Karki

Centennial College

ACE Biology M2022

Zafar Khan

Thursday, May 26, 2022, 11:59 PM

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Antibiotic Efficacy: Increased Resistance of Human Pathogens

I'll give a summary and reflection on Engl et al. (2018) study "Evolutionary stability of

antibiotic protection in a defensive symbiosis" in my submission. The keywords in this article

used by the author are antibiotic-resistant pathogen, symbionts, hosts, antagonistic, and

synergistic effect.

Summary

The difficulties of monitoring complicated microbial interactions in nature, as well as the

detection and quantification of antibiotic synthesis in situ, are the two key challenges identified

by Engl et al. (2018) when studying the ecology of antibiotics. One of the primary limitations in

the research of leafcutter ants and many other defensive symbioses has been the emphasis on

bioactive microbial metabolites produced in vitro, with many antibiotic compounds identified by

Pseudonocardia and Streptomyces isolates associated with leafcutter ants (Engl et al., 2018). The

wide range of piericidin and actinopyrone derivatives discovered across beewolf host species

prompted researchers to investigate the molecular basis for their production ( Engl et al., 2018).

While understanding the biosynthetic foundation of diversity in the antibiotic mixture, the

majority of variation in the beewolf antibiotic mixture is based on the high number of piericidin

derivatives. The lack of coevolving pathogens was presumably the key to the symbiont-provided

antibiotic mixture's long-term success in the beewolves. Presumably, the capacity to prevent the

emergence of resistance is a side consequence of the spectrum efficacy against opportunistic

microbial antagonists ( Engl et al., 2018). The composition of natural product biosynthesis in

microorganisms appears to be influenced by environmental factors that correlate with geographic

distances (Engl et al., 2018).

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The discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming put in the use of antibiotics in the

treatment of infectious diseases, but the antibiotic mixture produced by symbionts has provided

an efficient defense against pathogens (Engl et al., 2018). The researchers on phylogenetic and

geographic influence on antibiotic mixtures demonstrate a comparison of the chemical profile of

antennal extracts across 25 beewolf species and subspecies revealing a high degree of

conservation in the composition of the antibiotic mixture, with piericidin A1 and B1 as the major

components followed by streptochlorin and piericidin A5, while nigericin was detected only in

few North American beewolves at low relative amounts (Engl et al., 2018). Antibiotics have

been used in the treatment of infectious diseases since Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin,

but the antibiotic combination produced by symbionts has proven to be an effective protection

against pathogens (Engl et al., 2018). The researchers show a comparison of the chemical profile

of antennal extracts across 25 beewolf species and subspecies, revealing a high degree of

conservation in the antibiotic mixture's composition, with piericidin A1 and B1 as the major

components, followed by streptochlorin and piericidin A5, while nigericin was detected only in a

few North American beewolves at low relative amounts (Engl et al., 2018). For two reasons,

combining antibiotics can be advantageous and slow the evolution of resistance. To begin with,

if at least two chemicals are antagonistic, a microorganism that develops resistance to only one

of them receives a higher effective inhibition by the remaining molecule, resulting in lower

fitness compared to non-resistant cells. Second, by neutralizing toxin resistance mechanisms,

intrinsically harmless substances can restore toxin action (Engl et al., 2018). The composition of

bacterial metabolic domains in soil samples was altered by geographic location, most notably

latitude, but not by altitude, temperature, or yearly precipitation, which are prominent predictors

of microbial diversity, according to Lemetre et al., cited in Engl et al. (2018).

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When adjusting for symbiont phylogeny, the Partial Mantel test revealed a substantial

association between antibiotic profiles and host phylogeny, but not vice versa. Environmental

influences on the quantitative expression of chemical biosynthesis are taken into account while

considering the antibiotic mixture's evolutionary stability (Engl et al., 2018). By quantitatively

altering the composition of an antibiotic mixture, these expression modifications apparently

allow for quick adaptations to the local micro-environment, such as temperature, humidity, and

the soil microbial community (Engl et al., 2018).

Reflection

I could relate to this article as the problem we are facing antibiotic resistance these days

and the need for broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat disease. Also, it can be related to the

negligence of the patient who is taking the antibiotics, since they are not taking the full dose of

antibiotic as defined time, though they are stopping the consumption of antibiotics as soon they

get relief from the disease. They never realize that half a dose of antibiotics just suppresses the

bacteria but never gets rid of the disease from the body. It can be also a misleading

understanding of antibiotics among the patients which boost the bacteria resistance power, in

return, the same medication does not work for the same disease in the patient.

I learned that I could prevent antibiotic-resistant bacteria development by proper use of

antibiotics for the mentioned period of time. The resistance also develops as an ongoing mutation

process in the pathogens which needs a combination of drugs i.e., a cocktail of antibiotics to treat

it.

When I read this article, I come to know the development process of pathogens and how

these pathogens develop resistance i.e., antibiotic resistance. Also, I realize the combined use of

antibiotics can help to treat antibiotic resistance pathogens in the future with proper medication
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and the intake of medication within the defined time period, so as not to allow the pathogens to

mutate in its upcoming generation or develop resistance power on itself.

I know someone who has MRSA positive (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

He developed it as a result of the resistance of staph bacteria because he was treated in starting

for the ordinary staph infection with different antibiotics. The Treatment of staph infections with

different antibiotics causes the bacteria to develop resistance power against the antibiotic

medication he used to intake. The staph pathogens that develop resistance to the medications

were oxacillin, penicillin, amoxicillin, and cephalosporine including methicillin. He had gone

through treatment in different health care settings for multiple disease conditions which may

have contributed to increased resistance to staph pathogens of MRSA.

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References

Engl, T., Kroiss, J., Kai, M., Nechitaylo, T. Y., Svatoš, A., & Kaltenpoth, M. (2018).

Evolutionary stability of antibiotic protection in a defensive symbiosis. Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS, 115(9), E2020–E2029.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1719797115