Antibiotic resistance linked to poor governance
Higher levels of corruption are also part of the problem
Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) medical school have found that poor governance and higher levels of corruption are linked to increased levels of antibiotic resistance in Europe. 'It is a finding that will be surprising to most people in the field of medicine,' said lead researcher Professor Peter Collignon.
According to the report, Antimicrobial Resistance: The Major Contribution of Poor Governance and Corruption to This Growing Problem, which is published in the journal PLOS One, the general perception of antibiotic resistance is that it is almost entirely related to the amounts of antibiotics used.
'We believe that other factors are as important, or even more important, to account for the variations in resistance observed between regions and countries. In particular, we wished to look at the contribution of corruption,' the report said.
The report found that varying antibiotic usage accounted for only 28–33% of antibiotic resistance. However, when the control of corruption was considered as well, this accounted for 63% of the variation in antibiotic resistance, with drugs being misused more often. Levels of antibiotic resistance were also higher in countries with more private healthcare.
'We postulate that when healthcare is being delivered predominantly in the private sector, there are fewer controls and supervision of what is being done. This then may mean that there are fewer controls on broad-spectrum agents, the length of time of drug therapy and the volumes used,' said the report.
On the other hand, a country’s income levels did not affect resistance rates. Only data on Europe was used because it is the only region with good quality data available from multiple countries – 28 were studied.
The increase in antibiotic-resistant infections was 'one of the greatest threats facing modern medicine,' said Collignon.
The report added that antibiotic resistance is a growing international problem, making an increasing number of serious infections difficult – sometimes impossible – to treat.
