What are Superbugs?

Microbes (or simply ‘bugs’) are tiny, simple life forms, generally invisible to the naked eye. There are lots of different types, but the four that cause infections are:

• Bacteria: One-cell organisms responsible for infections such as urinary tract infections and tuberculosis. They are treated with antibiotics.
• Viruses: Even smaller bugs that cause infections such as the common cold. COVID-19 is caused by a type of virus. Antibiotics will not help with viral infections.
• Fungi: Common diseases, such as thrush and athlete’s foot, are caused by fungi. For some people, such as those with cancer, or premature babies, fungal diseases can be very serious – it is estimated that they cause over 2 million deaths every year.
• Protozoa: A type of single-cell organism found in wet habitats. The most famous of these is malaria, caused by a tiny parasite that is transmitted by mosquito bites.

This is a tricky question. While bugs occur all around us in nature the conditions that allow them to become such a threat to humans are often made possible – or worse – by our activity. From antibiotic pollution in our water and air, to poor care of animals that allows bugs to make the jump from animals to humans, to mass poverty and poor sanitation which creates the perfect breeding ground for superbugs to flourish, the root causes of superbugs are social, economic and political.

That’s why we believe that to help stop superbugs, it’s not simply a case of stopping the bugs themselves. We need to re-examine and re-imagine our relationship with each other, animals and the natural world if we want to make a lasting difference and save millions of lives.

Antibiotics are used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Their discovery less than 100 years ago transformed medicine.

Whereas people used to regularly die from what today we might consider minor infections, such as a sore throat, ear ache, or even a paper cut, thanks to antibiotics we can now not only prevent their deaths but perform complicated surgery or cancer treatment with far less risk of infection.

Antibiotics are one of our most powerful medicines. However, because of their overuse, they have made their way into our water, our soil, our food, and even our air.

Part of the problem is that our bodies excrete antibiotics when we take them, so they enter the sewers where they mix with each other, creating more superbugs. However, industrial waste is another major source of pollution, with rivers near antibiotic factories frequently found to be full of drug-resistant microbes. Finally, many factory farmed animals and fish are also routinely given antibiotics to help them survive their poor living conditions and, in some countries, to make them grow bigger. Just like us, the animals excrete the antibiotics, which also adds to the amount in the environment.