The Eternal Battle between Microbes and Humans

Mostafa FN Abushahba*

Received: January 30, 2018;   Published: February 07, 2018

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.02.000737

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Abstract

In 1950s, practitioners believed that the age-old battle of mankind with microbes was finally stopped. Shortly thereafter that concept has been completely changed following the occurrence of major outbreaks caused either by new pathogens or traditional resurging agents with a potential global spread [1]. Depending on their evolutionary dynamics, the ability of microorganisms to cause diseases is rapidly changing and increasing over time [2]. One potential example is the pathogens of animal origin (i.e. zoonotic diseases) that have accounted for more than two thirds among of emerging human infections, and therefore constitute a serious human health hazard [3,4]. Disease emergence involves the appearance of new pathogens as well as re-emergence of already known ones [5]. The transfer of diseases to humans from food animals is a particular problem and the situation is aggravated by the spread of pathogens carrying resistomes (i.e. antimicrobial resistant genes) such as Salmonella, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus in food-producing animals owing to the overuse of antimicrobials which present a public health risk by the transfer of such resistant pathogens eventually to humans [6,7].

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