Over on Superbug, Maryn McKenna (are you following her yet? No? If you’re into infectious disease, you should) discusses a recent report on the global ramifications of antimicrobial resistance. In it, the authors project by 2050, 10 million deaths a year will be attributed to infections caused by six resistant organisms. (Those are: Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli, MRSA; HIV, TB and malaria.) These deaths will cause an estimated loss of 100 trillion dollars of lost gross national product.
So what can laboratory professionals and pathologists do to help stop these predictions from coming true? For starters:
- Advocate for and implement antibiotic stewardship programs.
- Educate the public about proper antibiotic use.
- Practice good laboratory safety practices.
What else can labs, microbiologists, and pathologists do to stem the tide of antibiotic resistance?
–Kelly Swails, MT(ASCP), is a laboratory professional, recovering microbiologist, and web editor for Lab Medicine.
