A Review on Superbug: a Threat to Pharmaceutical Scientists

Abstract

The term "Superbug" is a nonspecific word that is used to describe any microorganism that is resistant to at least one or more commonly used antibiotics. Some authors restrict its use to microorganisms resistant to two or more antibiotics.

A super bug is a microbe, a virus or bacterium, that has resistance to the antibiotics and other drugs used to treat it. When the drugs become ineffective, viruses and bacteria are able to run their course. Then these microbes spread and diversify through the population and create havoc amidst people. Sometimes they create dangerous epidemics such as H1N1, etc.

This is often used for dangerous viruses as well as bacteria - bacteria that have resistance to antibiotics, or viruses that are difficult to control. These super bugs multiply rapidly creating dangerous outbreaks in the hospitals and cities, and are very difficult to kill with conventional antibiotics or drugs.

The bug has at this moment the potential to make all the present antibiotics redundant. These bacteria are resistant to the most powerful class of antibiotics called   carbapenems, which are also called 'antibiotics of last resort', and turn into high resistance mode when exposed to them, which is really a cause to worry.

This bug can spread globally and can kill millions unless new antibiotics found. In addition worrying is that the gene was found on plasmids that can jump easily from one bacteria strain to another facilitating their transfer.

Key-Word:- Superbug, microorganism, H1N1, carbapenems.