In a release received by The Jakarta Post recently, the World Health Organization called on governments, professional societies and the pharmaceutical industry to be alert to the problem of microbial resistance.

The head of the malaria laboratory at the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Syafruddin, told the Post on Tuesday the increased prevalence of antibiotic resistance was due to microorganisms’ ability to mutate, causing them to develop immunity against more antibiotics.

He said he had identified some organisms, such as Staphylococcus aureus, which had built up immunity against meticillin, a penicillin-class antibiotic used to treat staph infections, in some areas in the country.

Eijkman Institute deputy director Herawati Sudoyo said one of the causes of microbial resistance was the fact that many people consumed antibiotics in inappropriate doses. “This can lead to resistance as well,” she said.

Syafruddin, who is also a microbial resistance researcher, criticized the fact that many doctors, despite knowing the accepted truth about antibiotics, still over-prescribed them to patients.

“Antibiotics are used to kill specific pathogens. [Doctors] should have studied this in medical school. The trend is that doctors are now more business-like: they’re choosing the most expensive antibiotics in hopes of curing their patients,” he said.

“The precision of the diagnosis by doctors here remains questionable, and doctors often don’t clinically test antibiotics before prescribing them to patients, nor conduct antibiotic sensitivity testing,” Syafruddin said.

Medical experts in the country, he continued, were embroiled in a dilemma over prescribing antibiotics because not only was the technology to examine antibiotic drugs still lacking, but testing processes could also take at least one week.

“They have to make a quick decision to cure their patients,” he said, adding that as a result, doctors circumvented medical procedures and authorized the use of antibiotics without prior tests.

Antibiotic drugs are usually prescribed for coughs and flu-like illness and sometimes for vital medical treatments, such as cancer therapies and post-surgical care.

“If doctors are not sure about their diagnoses, they shouldn’t prescribe to patients antibiotics with specific chemical structures, but they are encouraged to provide them with more general ones [in order to prevent resistance buildup],” Syafruddin said.

He added that it was a medical principle that drugs be used rationally and only when necessary to reduce the multiplication of resistant microorganisms.

Syafruddin encouraged doctors to keep themselves updated on issues by following the Indonesian Doctors Association’s guidelines and by taking part in ongoing studies on antibiotics and microorganisms. (tsy)

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