Oyster Blood May Hold The Key To Antimicrobial Resistance, Research Indicates

Australian scientists have made a discovery that could be a game-changer in the field of medicine. They have found a protein in the blood of Australian Sydney oysters that can not only kill bacteria but also boost the power of conventional antibiotics. These bacteria cause resistant infections that are very difficult, if not impossible to treat. As per global health data, these diseases claim more than 1 million lives worldwide each year since 1990.

What Is Antimicrobial Resistance?

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when germs, like fungi and bacteria, develop the ability to defeat the drugs that are designed to kill them. This leads to resistant infections that are difficult to treat. Globally, nearly five million people die from antimicrobial resistance every year. The annual toll of antimicrobial-resistant infections is expected to rise by 70 per cent, with an estimated 40 million deaths between now and 2050.

What Is The New Discovery?

However, researchers in Australia, in their study published in PLOS One, show that antimicrobial proteins isolated from oyster hemolymph (which is equivalent to human blood) can kill bacteria that are responsible for a range of infections. The proteins can also improve the efficacy of conventional antibiotics against problematic bacterial species.

"HPE, a semi-purified extract of SRO hemolymph proteins, showed strong antibacterial activity against Streptococcus spp. Combination assays using 1–12 μg/mL HPE with conventional antibiotics significantly improved the efficacy of antibiotic treatments against a range of other respiratory pathogens in vitro. In practice, this could both reduce overexposure to available antibiotics and reduce the barriers to further development and clinical implementation of HPE/active AMPPs. HPE is also non-toxic with good chemical stability, which further supports the viability of constituent AMPPs as drug candidates," the researchers said.

Drug-Resistant Bacteria Are Life-Threatening

It is this type of robust bacteria that causes acute infections responsible for millions of deaths every year. Pneumonia, for instance, is an acute infection of the lungs caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. It is the leading cause of death among children under five years of age and a common cause of hospitalization and death in older people.

Upper respiratory tract infections, such as tonsillitis, are also common. They are the most frequent reason children are prescribed antibiotics. Persistent skin and throat infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes can lead to the development of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

Over Prescriptions Lead Cause Behind Antimicrobial Resistance

One of the reasons it is on the rise is because of doctors. Broad-spectrum antibiotics, which target a wide range of bacteria, are more likely to contribute to resistance. Experts point out that educating doctors on when to use narrow-spectrum antibiotics can help.

A report from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) found that 71.9% of patients in hospitals were prescribed antibiotics, with little difference in usage between intensive care units and other wards. Alarmingly, 55% of these prescriptions were for preventing infections, not treating them.

Some antibiotics, like Norfloxacin, which used to be effective for diarrhoea, have become ineffective due to overuse. Additionally, resistance to carbapenem, a powerful class of antibiotics, is increasing in conditions like typhoid, where it’s often not even necessary.

Another challenge is the use of empirical prescriptions—doctors guessing the cause of an infection based on symptoms instead of running diagnostic tests.