Review article UDC: 615.281.015.8:616.9 doi:10.5633/amm.2019.0412 THE IMPORTANCE OF OLD ANTIBIOTICS IN OVERCOMING RESISTANCE TO ANTIBIOTICS Zorica Jović1, Lidija Ristić2,3, Dane Krtinić1,4, Gorana Nedin-Ranković1, Ana Cvetanović4,5, Dušan Simić6 Antibiotics are medications used to prevent or cure infections caused by bacteria. Discovery and introduction of antibiotics into medical practice brought about revolutionary changes in therapy and eradication of infectious diseases. There is a rise of interest for usage of old antibiotics. These drugs could be invaluable in the treatment of certain infections and, in order for them to remain effective, it is necessary to conduct certain measures which would prove their worth. The aim of antibiotic therapy is to deliver the antibiotic to the place of infection and to retain it in the place of infection for a long period of time. Most of all, it is of utmost importance to educate about this all medical personnel in health care system, especially physicians. The fact that the availability of these drugs remains low in comparison to the efforts made in attempt of discovering new antibiotics, imposes the need for national regulatory agencies to get involved in regulating the usage of these drugs. Acta Medica Medianae 2019;58(4):80-84. Key words: antibiotics, resistance, infections 1University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Department of pletely different from contemporary industrially pro- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Niš, Serbia duced ones. Nevertheless, this does not diminish the 2 University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal fact that certain herbal medicines which have anti- Medicine, Niš, Serbia 3Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases, Clinical center Niš, Niš, Serbia biotic properties were known to ancient Greeks and 4Clinic of Oncology, Clinical center Niš, Niš, Serbia Romans and that they constituted an important part 5University of Niš, Faculty of Medicine, Department of of their medical practices (1). Oncology, Niš, Serbia Uncontrolled and excessive antibiotic use 6Primary Health Center Niš, Women's Health Service, Niš, Serbia quickly led to the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. Results of many studies have shown that it is of utmost urgency that the use of Contact: Dane Krtinić antibiotics must be put under control. Unless certain Bulevard dr Zoran Djindjić 81, 18000 Niš, Serbia E-mail: [email protected] changes are made, it is estimated that by the year 2050, 50.000.000 deaths will be caused by bacterial infections annually, a number surpassing the num- ber of deaths caused by cancer (2). Data suggests that 80% of antibiotics are used out of hospitals, while 20% fall into the cate- gory of intrahospital treatment. 20%-50% of pres- cribed antibiotics are not used rationally. All of these circumstances led to the emergence of multiresis- tant bacterial strains, and some strains of bacteria, such as Enteroccocus faecium, are resistant to all known types of antibiotics (3). The research has also Introduction shown that resistant strains of bacteria frequently occur in intensive care units, proving that even ra- Antibiotics are medications used to prevent or tional antibiotic use leads to emergence of resistant cure infections caused by bacteria. Discovery and in- bacteria. troduction of antibiotics into medical practice brought Due to the global problem of bacterial resis- about revolutionary changes in therapy and eradi- tance, data is being collected in Europe and certain cation of infectious diseases. It is believed that the strains of bacteria of great epidemiological impor- "antibiotic era" has begun at the beginning of the tance, such as methicillin resistant Staphiloccocus twentieth century, but the evidence suggests that aureus (MRSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococcus antibiotics have been used since ancient times. It is (VRE), III generation cephalosporin and carbapenem clear that antibiotics had been used in forms com- resistant Enterobacteriae (Escherichia Coli, Klebsiela 80 www.medfak.ni.ac.rs/amm The importance of old antibiotics in overcoming resistance to antibiotics Zorica Jović et al. pneumoniae), carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas 6. Based on the fact the certain antibiotic is aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii, and peni- the only efficient antibiotic in a certain group of anti- cillin resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, are being biotics. monitored (4). Acknowledgment that the Earth's population Overview of selected antibiotics might become powerless even when it comes to the most banal infections, raised alarm among member Penicillin G is used parenterally in the form of countries of the UN at the annual gathering of Gene- sodium and potassium salts. In addition to penicillin ral Assembly in New York in 2016 and it was decided G, procaine benzylpenicillin and bezanthine benzyl- that certain measures are to be introduced in order penicillin are used. Despite the fact that many bac- to reduce the risk of infections caused by multiresis- teria have become penicillin G resistant, it is im- tant strains of bacteria (5): portant to stress that Streptococcus pyogenes re- 1. Acceleration of development of new anti- mains susceptible to this drug. Therefore, this old microbial drugs antibiotic is important when it comes to the treat- 2. Acceleration of development of new vac- ment of infections caused by this bacterium, such as cines sepsis, endocarditis and meningitis (8). This is the 3. Acceleration of development of reliable diag- drug of choice in treatment of syphilis. Due to these nostic tests which would enable the reduction of facts, penicillin G should be available for treatment antibiotic use of streptococcal infections and syphilis. The main 4. Monitor and collect data about antibiotic reason behind the deficit of this drug is of economic use, as well as about antibiotic resistant bacteria nature (a cheap antibiotic). This drug is available in 5. Impose closer monitoring of antibiotic use the Serbian pharmacies. 6. Establish national strategies which would Temocillin is a derivative of ticarcillin. Despite allow for a more rational prescription of antibiotics its unique properties it was never widely used. It is a 7. Attempt to re-introduce old ("forgotten") narrow spectrum of action drug and it is stable in antibiotics relation to beta lactases. What makes this antibiotic Since the introduction of new antibiotics is unique is that resistant strains of bacteria have ne- fairly slow and expensive, and the occurrence of re- ver emerged. It is active against Burkholderia cepa- sistant bacteria increased, the idea about making ciae and the specific and unique indication for this the old antibiotics available and used again is be- antibiotic is an infection caused by this bacterium. coming an important topic. Unfortunately, many of This type of infection occurs frequently and can be these antibiotics are unavailable in most countries se-rious in patients with cystic fibrosis (9). (the EU, the US, Australia), reasons being varied The main causes of infrequent use of this and complex. antibiotic are low prices and the lack of knowledge It is not easy to explain the definition "old" among physicians about the usefulness of this nar- and "forgotten". These are antibiotics once used, row spectrum of action antibiotic. This drug is not but, for various reasons (in connection to their pro- available in the Serbian pharmacies. perties or unprofitability) removed from the pharma- Izoxazole penicillins are halfsynthetic penicil- cies or were never used in clinical practice. However, lins resistant to beta lactamase which is synthetised there are findings pointing that these antibiotics by Staphylococcus. The basic and extremely impor- could be administered at the present moment or in tant indications for the use of these antibiotics (oxa- the future and that their usefulness is beyond doubt. cillin, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin and flucloxacillin) are in- Old antibiotics with narrow spectrum of action fections caused by Staphylococcus aureus suscep- which were withdrawn from the pharmacies or never tible to methicillin, such as dermal infections, cellu- used in praxis could potentially prove to be useful in litis, infected burns, postoperative abscesses. They treatment of certain infections which would reduce could be used in treatment of serious cases of pneu- the usage of broad spectrum antibiotics whose fre- monia, meningitis, endocarditis and septic arthritis. quent prescription results in emergence of multire- If Staphylococcus aureus is proven to be the cause sistant bacteria (6). Moreover, old antibiotics could of osteomyelitis, these antibiotics are the drugs of be used in treatment of infections caused by multi- choice (10). The reason behind the deficiency of resistant bacteria, such as sepsis, endocarditis and these antibiotics in the pharmacies is their low price. meningitis. Cefoxitin is a cephalosporin of II generation Usefulness and effectiveness of old antibiotics which is administered intravenously and which pen- could be summed up as following (7): etrates through the surgical patient’s peritoneum 1. Old antibiotics could be useful because of very well. Streptococcus and Staphylococcus (apart their special microbiological criteria (antimicrobial from MRSA) are very susceptible to this drug. A spe- spectrum; special mechanisms of action) cial characteristic of cefoxitin is its excellent action 2. According to special pharmacological crite- against Mycobacterium abscessus, fast growing non- ria tubercular bacteria