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Antibiotic Resistance: Rising Concern In Marine Ecosystems
A team of scientists, speaking February 13 at the annual meeting of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called for
new awareness of the potential for antibiotic-resistan t illnesses
from the marine environment, and pointed to the marine realm as a
source for possible cures of those threats.
The group stated that newly completed studies of ocean beach users
point to an increasing risk of staph infections, and that current
treatments for seafood poisoning may be less effective due to higher
than expected antibiotic resistance. The group also asserts that new
research has identified sponge and coral-derived chemicals with the
potential for breaking down antibiotic resistant compounds and that
could lead to new personalized medical treatments.
"While the marine environment can indeed be hostile to humans, it
may also provide new resources to help reduce our risks from
illnesses such as those caused by water borne staph or seafood
poisoning," stated Paul Sandifer, Ph.D., former member of the U.S.
Commission on Ocean Policy, chief scientist of NOAA's Oceans and
Human Health Initiative, and co-organizer of the symposium.
Carolyn Sotka, also with the NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative
and lead organizer of the session, stated "It is critically
important that we continue research on the complex interactions
between the condition of our oceans and human health. Without doubt,
this research will develop new understandings of ocean health risks
and perhaps more importantly crucial discoveries that will lead to
new solutions to looming public health problems."
Coral, Sponges Point To Personalized Medicine Potential
"We've found significant new tools to fight the antibiotic
resistance war," says NOAA research scientist Peter Moeller, Ph.D.,
in describing the identification of new compounds derived from a sea
sponge and corals.
"The first hit originates with new compounds that remove the shield
bacteria utilize to protect themselves from antibiotics. The second
hit is the discovery of novel antibiotics derived from marine
organisms such as corals, sponges and marine microbes that fight
even some of the worst infectious bacterial strains. With the
variety of chemicals we find in the sea and their highly specific
activities, medicines in the near future can be customized to
individuals' needs, rather than relying on broad spectrum
antibiotics. "
The research team, a collaboration between scientists at NOAA's
Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C., the Medical
University of South Carolina and researchers at North Carolina State
University in Raleigh, N.C., noticed a sponge that seemed to thrive
despite being located in the midst of a dying coral reef. After
extraction, testing showed that one of the isolated chemicals,
algeliferin, breaks down a biofilm barrier that bacteria use to
protect themselves from threats including antibiotics. The same
chemical can also disrupt or inhibit formation of biofilm on a
variety of bacteria previously resistant to antibiotics which could
lead to both palliative and curative response treatment depending on
the problem being addressed.
"This could lead to a new class of helper drugs and result in a
rebirth for antibiotics no longer thought effective," notes
Moeller. "Its potential application to prevent biofilm build-up in
stents, intravenous lines and other medical uses is incredible."
The compound is currently being tested for a variety of medical uses
and has gone through a second round of sophisticated toxicity
screening and thus far shows no toxic effects.
Staph: A Beach Going Concern
Research, funded by multiple agencies and conducted by the
University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
Sciences and the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, found that
swimmers using public ocean beaches increase their risk for exposure
to staph organisms, and they may increase their risk for potential
staph infections once they enter the water.
"Our study found that if you swim in subtropical marine waters, you
have a significant chance , approximately 37 percent, of being
exposed to staph â€" either yours or possibly that from someone else
in the water with you," said Dr. Lisa Plano, a pediatrician and
microbiologist with the Miller School of Medicine. Plano
collaborated in the first large epidemiologic survey of beach users
in recreational marine waters without a sewage source of
pollution. "This exposure might lead to colonization or infection by
water-borne bacteria which are shed from every person who enters the
water. People who have open wounds or are immune-compromised are at
greatest risk of infection."
The Miami research team does not advise avoiding beaches, but
recommends that beach-goers take precautions to reduce risk by
showering thoroughly before entering the water and after getting
out. They also point out that while antibiotic resistant staph,
commonly known as MRSA, has been increasingly found in diverse
environments, including the marine environment, less than three
percent of staph isolated from beach waters in their study was of
the potentially virulent MRSA variety. More research is needed to
understand how long staph (including MRSA) can live in coastal
waters, and human uptake and infection rates associated with beach
exposures.
Antibiotic Resistance in Seafood-borne Pathogens Increasing
Researchers at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science in West
Boothbay Harbor, Maine, report that the frequency of antibiotic
resistance in vibrio bacteria was significantly higher than
expected. These findings suggest that the current treatment of
vibirio infections should be re-examined, since these microbes are
the leading cause of seafood-borne illness and death in the United
States. The severity of these infections makes antibiotic resistance
in vibrios a critical public health concern.
Naturally-occurring resistance to antibiotics among Vibrios may
undermine the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment, but as yet this
has not been extensively studied. Furthermore, antibiotics and other
toxicants discharged into the waste stream by humans may increase
the frequency of antibiotic-resistan t Vibrio strains in contaminated
coastal environments.
"We found resistance to all major classes of antibiotics routinely
used to treat Vibrio infections, including aminoglycosides,
tetracyclines, and cephalosporins, " stated Bigelow's Ramunas
Stepanauskas, Ph.D. "In contrast, we found that Vibrios were highly
susceptible to carbapenems and new-generation fluoroquinolones, such
as Imipenem and Ciprofloxacin. This information may be used to
design better strategies to treat Vibrio infections."
Source: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration
A team of scientists, speaking February 13 at the annual meeting of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called for
new awareness of the potential for antibiotic-resistan t illnesses
from the marine environment, and pointed to the marine realm as a
source for possible cures of those threats.
The group stated that newly completed studies of ocean beach users
point to an increasing risk of staph infections, and that current
treatments for seafood poisoning may be less effective due to higher
than expected antibiotic resistance. The group also asserts that new
research has identified sponge and coral-derived chemicals with the
potential for breaking down antibiotic resistant compounds and that
could lead to new personalized medical treatments.
"While the marine environment can indeed be hostile to humans, it
may also provide new resources to help reduce our risks from
illnesses such as those caused by water borne staph or seafood
poisoning," stated Paul Sandifer, Ph.D., former member of the U.S.
Commission on Ocean Policy, chief scientist of NOAA's Oceans and
Human Health Initiative, and co-organizer of the symposium.
Carolyn Sotka, also with the NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative
and lead organizer of the session, stated "It is critically
important that we continue research on the complex interactions
between the condition of our oceans and human health. Without doubt,
this research will develop new understandings of ocean health risks
and perhaps more importantly crucial discoveries that will lead to
new solutions to looming public health problems."
Coral, Sponges Point To Personalized Medicine Potential
"We've found significant new tools to fight the antibiotic
resistance war," says NOAA research scientist Peter Moeller, Ph.D.,
in describing the identification of new compounds derived from a sea
sponge and corals.
"The first hit originates with new compounds that remove the shield
bacteria utilize to protect themselves from antibiotics. The second
hit is the discovery of novel antibiotics derived from marine
organisms such as corals, sponges and marine microbes that fight
even some of the worst infectious bacterial strains. With the
variety of chemicals we find in the sea and their highly specific
activities, medicines in the near future can be customized to
individuals' needs, rather than relying on broad spectrum
antibiotics. "
The research team, a collaboration between scientists at NOAA's
Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, S.C., the Medical
University of South Carolina and researchers at North Carolina State
University in Raleigh, N.C., noticed a sponge that seemed to thrive
despite being located in the midst of a dying coral reef. After
extraction, testing showed that one of the isolated chemicals,
algeliferin, breaks down a biofilm barrier that bacteria use to
protect themselves from threats including antibiotics. The same
chemical can also disrupt or inhibit formation of biofilm on a
variety of bacteria previously resistant to antibiotics which could
lead to both palliative and curative response treatment depending on
the problem being addressed.
"This could lead to a new class of helper drugs and result in a
rebirth for antibiotics no longer thought effective," notes
Moeller. "Its potential application to prevent biofilm build-up in
stents, intravenous lines and other medical uses is incredible."
The compound is currently being tested for a variety of medical uses
and has gone through a second round of sophisticated toxicity
screening and thus far shows no toxic effects.
Staph: A Beach Going Concern
Research, funded by multiple agencies and conducted by the
University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
Sciences and the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, found that
swimmers using public ocean beaches increase their risk for exposure
to staph organisms, and they may increase their risk for potential
staph infections once they enter the water.
"Our study found that if you swim in subtropical marine waters, you
have a significant chance , approximately 37 percent, of being
exposed to staph â€" either yours or possibly that from someone else
in the water with you," said Dr. Lisa Plano, a pediatrician and
microbiologist with the Miller School of Medicine. Plano
collaborated in the first large epidemiologic survey of beach users
in recreational marine waters without a sewage source of
pollution. "This exposure might lead to colonization or infection by
water-borne bacteria which are shed from every person who enters the
water. People who have open wounds or are immune-compromised are at
greatest risk of infection."
The Miami research team does not advise avoiding beaches, but
recommends that beach-goers take precautions to reduce risk by
showering thoroughly before entering the water and after getting
out. They also point out that while antibiotic resistant staph,
commonly known as MRSA, has been increasingly found in diverse
environments, including the marine environment, less than three
percent of staph isolated from beach waters in their study was of
the potentially virulent MRSA variety. More research is needed to
understand how long staph (including MRSA) can live in coastal
waters, and human uptake and infection rates associated with beach
exposures.
Antibiotic Resistance in Seafood-borne Pathogens Increasing
Researchers at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science in West
Boothbay Harbor, Maine, report that the frequency of antibiotic
resistance in vibrio bacteria was significantly higher than
expected. These findings suggest that the current treatment of
vibirio infections should be re-examined, since these microbes are
the leading cause of seafood-borne illness and death in the United
States. The severity of these infections makes antibiotic resistance
in vibrios a critical public health concern.
Naturally-occurring resistance to antibiotics among Vibrios may
undermine the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment, but as yet this
has not been extensively studied. Furthermore, antibiotics and other
toxicants discharged into the waste stream by humans may increase
the frequency of antibiotic-resistan t Vibrio strains in contaminated
coastal environments.
"We found resistance to all major classes of antibiotics routinely
used to treat Vibrio infections, including aminoglycosides,
tetracyclines, and cephalosporins, " stated Bigelow's Ramunas
Stepanauskas, Ph.D. "In contrast, we found that Vibrios were highly
susceptible to carbapenems and new-generation fluoroquinolones, such
as Imipenem and Ciprofloxacin. This information may be used to
design better strategies to treat Vibrio infections."
Source: National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration
