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Microbiologist Olena Moshynets – on the problem of antibiotic resistance: the scale of the threat and ways to overcome it

25.04.2025

Senior Researcher of the Cell Regulatory Mechanisms Department at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the NAS of Ukraine, Candidate of Biological Sciences Olena Moshynets in her article for "Ukrainian Pravda. Life" focuses on the problem of antibiotic resistance, which is reaching catastrophic proportions in Ukraine. The scientist notes that the resistance of infections to antibiotics renders the drugs ineffective.

"Many military and civilians with injuries die not because of the nature of the wounds received, but from bacteria that 'consume' the body, having developed resistance to antibiotics, including the latest ones," emphasizes Olena Moshynets. – "Antibiotic resistance is a situation where we will not be able to overcome the smallest infection and will lose thousands and thousands of our people, primarily our defenders – it is one aspect of our war for survival and requires a smart, responsible approach from the state. This is a story about when policy development and strategy implementation require a responsible, intelligent approach and, at the same time, do not require significant financial investment."

The scientist notes that the war has exacerbated the crisis of antimicrobial therapy, with many hospitals facing unprecedented infections resistant to various drugs: "The absence of national protocols for antimicrobial therapy and infection control has led to inconsistent treatment practices for such infections in hospitals. This is complicated by chronic underfunding and the use of subtherapeutic (i.e., too low) doses of antibiotics. These problems combine and create a perfect storm effect, leading to exceptionally favorable conditions for the emergence and spread of microorganisms resistant to antimicrobial drugs."

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Source: "Ukrainian Pravda. Life," publication dated April 24, 2025.

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