Colistin-Resistant Bacteria - What is it?

What is colistin?

Colistin is an antibody that is used as a last resort treatment for highly drug-resistant bacterial infection.

What is the Colistin resistance issue?

Colistin-resistant bacteria can be found in humans due to the intake of Colistin unwantedly.

Colistin is found to be used for the production of animals like chicken so it could be fat and healthier. It is also given to other livestock so that it would be more resistant to health issues. It is found in mutton, egg fruits, and some other vegetables.

Colistin is listed as "Highest priority critically important antibiotic" in WHO's list of critically important antimicrobials.

The origin of such bacteria can be hospital or food. Colistin­resistant bacteria of hospital 

origin do not respond to any of the antibiotics, including carbapenem while colistin­

-resistant bacteria of food origin will respond to carbapenem.

Out of these two origins, the common one is food origin. This is because of the use of colistin in poultry production. This plays a bigger role in bringing about Colistin-resistant bacteria than its usage in hospitals.

The use of colistin in poultry should be controlled to stop the generation of colistin resistance bacteria. The cause of colistin resistance in the majority of bacteria of food origin in the human

 gut is due to mgrB gene mutation. 

So this ready availability of colistin for poultry producers is a concern. There needs to be a set of rules for selling of colistin. and also medical institutions should be more careful with the experimental use of colistin.

The Indian government banned the manufacture, sale and use of colistin in the poultry industry.

This move should be lauded given how the presence of Colistin-resistant bacteria can cause serious issues and with no last resort treatment. It has also been banned in China, Japan, Australia, and Malaysia.