Chair of the University of Alberta's Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Mattias Gӧtte, will be presenting a talk on antimicrobial resistance at the University of Alberta Infectious Disease Conference Nov 13 & 14.
As Alberta's cold and flu season returns for another year, the chair of the University of Alberta's Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Mattias Gӧtte, is encouraging people to practice good hygiene to help prevent infectious diseases and the rise of antimicrobial resistance.
"Prevention is the best way we can all help reduce antimicrobial resistance," said Gӧtte, who is also a member of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology. "So it's things like washing your hands properly and not seeking out antibiotics for a virus like the flu, because they won't work. If you get antibiotics for a bacterial infection, complete the prescribed regimen of medication your doctor gives you, even if you feel better before it's done."
Antimicrobial resistance, which includes antibiotic resistance in bacteria and antiviral resistance in viruses, is when a microbe is able to resist the medication used to treat the infection. When microbes become drug-resistant, they become much harder to treat, and may require more medication, which could be harmful to the patient.
Drug-resistant microbes, especially bacteria, have been labelled a 'major threat to public health' by the World Health Organization. A significant concern are microbes that are resistant to multiple drugs, or so-called 'superbugs.' However, there has been some good news on the antiviral side, Gӧtte says.
"In the beginning with HIV, the first drugs stopped working after a short period of treatment; the virus had developed resistance," he said. "Today, patients receive a combination of different drugs, and that prevents HIV from replicating and developing resistance. The drug cocktails are excellent, and we've really been able to control the problem."
Bacterial infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, however, are sometimes much harder to control. While viruses are able to be controlled by limiting their ability to replicate and mutate, Gӧtte says that bacteria have several different mechanisms to help them resist antibiotics. For example, bacteria can mutate like a virus, but they can also acquire drug-resistant genes from other bacteria. Because bacteria are cells, they are equipped with little pumps, called efflux pumps, that can move antibiotics out of them. Even more amazing, bacteria are sometimes able to react to antibiotics by modifying an antibiotic drug itself. According to Gӧtte, it's this flexibility that makes antibacterial resistance such an important issue, one that reaches beyond just the relationship between clinician and patient.
"Essentially, using antibiotics can promote the emergence of resistance, so we need to be careful about how those drugs are used," he said. "This includes antibiotics in our livestock and agricultural sectors, as well as making sure our water and sanitation infrastructure is working properly. So there is a medical, as well as economic component to this issue."
"In other words, resistant bacteria are everywhere in our environment. This issue will never go away."
Infectious Disease Conference
Gӧtte will be presenting a public lecture on antimicrobial resistance Wednesday, November 13, as part of the second U of A Infectious Diseases Conference. Originally started in 2016, the conference brings together experts from across campus to share research and learn more about the latest methods of treatment and prevention, advancements in surveillance and diagnostics, emerging global threats and more.
Some presentations of note include a talk on viral hepatitis from Lorne Tyrrell, director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, and a keynote speech from Julia Keenslide from the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on African Swine Fever.
The conference will also be an opportunity to attract new trainees to the field of infectious diseases, Gӧtte says. There will be speed-networking sessions for students and prospective mentors, and invited presentations will include information detailing the career opportunities in the presenter's area of expertise.
"We need more people doing this type of research, so we want to highlight that this topic is very important," said Gӧtte. "This conference provides an excellent environment for learning, and we want to leave our students and postdocs with a very clear idea of what career opportunities are out there as well."
The second University of Alberta Infectious Disease Conference takes place November 13 and 14 on the University of Alberta north campus at the TELUS International Centre (11104-87 avenue). It is open to the public and registration is $10, though Gӧtte's public lecture, "Superbugs and other drug-resistant infections: Why medications stop working" at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 is free.
"Prevention is the best way we can all help reduce antimicrobial resistance," said Gӧtte, who is also a member of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology. "So it's things like washing your hands properly and not seeking out antibiotics for a virus like the flu, because they won't work. If you get antibiotics for a bacterial infection, complete the prescribed regimen of medication your doctor gives you, even if you feel better before it's done."
Antimicrobial resistance, which includes antibiotic resistance in bacteria and antiviral resistance in viruses, is when a microbe is able to resist the medication used to treat the infection. When microbes become drug-resistant, they become much harder to treat, and may require more medication, which could be harmful to the patient.
Drug-resistant microbes, especially bacteria, have been labelled a 'major threat to public health' by the World Health Organization. A significant concern are microbes that are resistant to multiple drugs, or so-called 'superbugs.' However, there has been some good news on the antiviral side, Gӧtte says.
"In the beginning with HIV, the first drugs stopped working after a short period of treatment; the virus had developed resistance," he said. "Today, patients receive a combination of different drugs, and that prevents HIV from replicating and developing resistance. The drug cocktails are excellent, and we've really been able to control the problem."
Bacterial infections such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, however, are sometimes much harder to control. While viruses are able to be controlled by limiting their ability to replicate and mutate, Gӧtte says that bacteria have several different mechanisms to help them resist antibiotics. For example, bacteria can mutate like a virus, but they can also acquire drug-resistant genes from other bacteria. Because bacteria are cells, they are equipped with little pumps, called efflux pumps, that can move antibiotics out of them. Even more amazing, bacteria are sometimes able to react to antibiotics by modifying an antibiotic drug itself. According to Gӧtte, it's this flexibility that makes antibacterial resistance such an important issue, one that reaches beyond just the relationship between clinician and patient.
"Essentially, using antibiotics can promote the emergence of resistance, so we need to be careful about how those drugs are used," he said. "This includes antibiotics in our livestock and agricultural sectors, as well as making sure our water and sanitation infrastructure is working properly. So there is a medical, as well as economic component to this issue."
"In other words, resistant bacteria are everywhere in our environment. This issue will never go away."
Infectious Disease Conference
Gӧtte will be presenting a public lecture on antimicrobial resistance Wednesday, November 13, as part of the second U of A Infectious Diseases Conference. Originally started in 2016, the conference brings together experts from across campus to share research and learn more about the latest methods of treatment and prevention, advancements in surveillance and diagnostics, emerging global threats and more.
Some presentations of note include a talk on viral hepatitis from Lorne Tyrrell, director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, and a keynote speech from Julia Keenslide from the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on African Swine Fever.
The conference will also be an opportunity to attract new trainees to the field of infectious diseases, Gӧtte says. There will be speed-networking sessions for students and prospective mentors, and invited presentations will include information detailing the career opportunities in the presenter's area of expertise.
"We need more people doing this type of research, so we want to highlight that this topic is very important," said Gӧtte. "This conference provides an excellent environment for learning, and we want to leave our students and postdocs with a very clear idea of what career opportunities are out there as well."
The second University of Alberta Infectious Disease Conference takes place November 13 and 14 on the University of Alberta north campus at the TELUS International Centre (11104-87 avenue). It is open to the public and registration is $10, though Gӧtte's public lecture, "Superbugs and other drug-resistant infections: Why medications stop working" at 4 p.m. Nov. 13 is free.