This section of the exhibition focuses on the international collaboration and networks that have evolved to address antibiotic resistance. The message is that Due to its intentionally international nature, all stories in this section can be used as presented, but there are some opportunities for content adaptation to suit your region.
This story looks at alternative medicinal practices in India like Ayurveda which do not use antibiotics but rather depends on the traditional herbs and other extracts for boosting human immunity against infections.
Colistin is an antibiotic that was first discovered in the 1960s. However, colistin is considered a last resort antibiotic to the extreme kidney damage it caused to human patients. Despite this, colistin is used regularly in pig farming around the world. After a government-funded research project in China revealed a resistance to colistin emerging in bacteria found in soil, the specific plasmid MCR-1 was isolated by a team from the University of Cardiff. MCR-1 has been identified as a key plasmid responsible for global colistin resistance. Every country that has tested for MCR-1 in soil, supermarkets, hospitals, and patients has found this plasmid. Because of these findings, China has banned the use of colistin in farming. Around 5% of all infections are now resistant to colistin.
This story follows the investigation of colistin resistance starting with the death of an American woman in 2017. This story connects the content to a widely reported news story that directly addresses the global impact of colistin. This story contains a single object and a graphic file.
One object included in this story is a colistin-based medication intended to be used with an inhaler. This story also includes graphics showing how the overuse of colistin in agriculture contributes to antibiotic resistance.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is the biggest infectious killer in the world today, causing more deaths globally than HIV/AIDS. TB has lingered in humanity’s history, killing one in every seven people to have lived on Earth. Even now, the latent form of the bacterium, which can go dormant and become inactive, is present in one in four human beings. Antibiotics were developed to treat TB, then called consumption, in 1954. However, resistant strains of tuberculosis, most notably Extremely Resistant Tuberculosis (XR-TB) have emerged around the world and claim new lives.
The treatment for TB includes hundreds of doses of antibiotics, which in turn increases likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance. The more antibiotics are introduced into the environment, the more evolutionary pressure there is for bacteria to develop resistance and become superbugs. XR-TB requires an incredible 14,000 doses of antibiotics over the course of two years, giving ample opportunity for the bacteria to become resistant.
This story focuses on the University of Zaragoza in Spain, where researchers are developing a new experimental TB vaccine for use in South Africa. Developing an effective vaccine is imperative to save lives and prevent further antibiotic resistance.
The objects included in this story are an image of a chest X-ray of a person with tuberculosis, a syringe and a vial of MTBVAC, an experimental vaccine to prevent tuberculosis, and two sets of pills to show a sense of scale of antibiotics used to treat TB patients. One set contained 450 pills, representing the antibiotics necessary to treat TB. The other set contained 14,000 pills, representing the antibiotics necessary to treat XR-TB.
This story follows a team of researchers, led by Brian Murphy, from the University of Illinois who are exploring untouched regions of Iceland to isolate new species of bacteria. By finding new bacteria, the team hopes to develop new antibiotics from previously unknown microbiological processes. This story appears in the exhibition as a video.
It is difficult to study most bacteria in laboratory conditions because of their specific environmental needs. A team at Northeastern University in the United States developed the Isolation Chip, or iChip, to capture bacterial ecosystems and environments along with the bacteria to grow them in the lab for study. This device allowed for the discovery of a new class of antibiotic, teixobactin, in 2015. Although teixobactin is toxic in humans, its discovery shows the effectiveness of the iChip in research. As iChips are 3D printed, they are low-cost and ideal for exploratory research.
Objects included in this story are iChips that have been developed for a variety of environments, such as water, soil, and the human mouth.
Developing diagnostic tools is critical for the reduction of antibiotic resistance. Effective diagnostics could reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, which are a major factor in developing superbugs. However, pharmaceutical funding models do not motivate private sector companies to invest in areas like diagnostics or research into new antibiotics, though this is work is desperately needed.
The Longitude Prize was established by the UK government in 2014 as a £10 million prize for anyone who could effectively address the problem of antibiotic resistance by creating a diagnostic tool that was easy to use, cheap to produce, and delivers a diagnosis in 30 minutes. This prize-based funding model has generated more than 250 submissions from 41 countries around the world. Participants range from universities, biomedical companies, and passionate individuals, all going after the single prize. Due to smaller grants being awarded to encourage vaccine development, the prize has been reduced to £8 million.
At time of writing, the prize had not yet been awarded. The final submission deadline is September 2019, and a winner would be declared four months after this date. There are several teams very close to success, and it is worth investigating the status of the competition. If a winner is awarded, it is recommended that you include a prototype of the diagnostic tool in your display.
To find other teams that may be more relevant to your community, the list of 250 teams can be found here: longitudeprize.org/view-entries.
Responsible use of antibiotics is the key factor in the fight against antibiotic resistance. This exhibit showcases campaigns launched in this regard by different countries of the world.
This interactive computer game delivers the message as to how superbugs are created.