Prakash U. Tahiliani
Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of
the world. In US alone more than two million people become infected
with bacteria that are resistant to multiple drugs (Report of CDC –
2013). Antibiotic resistance, increases health care costs and lowers
the quality of medical treatment. A World Health Organization (WHO)
report released April 2014 stated, “this serious threat is no longer
a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region
of the world”. Regarding phenotypic mechanism of development of
antibiotic resistance, eminent US herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner
says “Every life on this earth is highly intelligent and unbelievably
adoptable to ensure its survival”. As soon as a bacterium develops a
method for countering an antibiotic, it systematically begins to pass
the knowledge on to other bacteria at an extremely rapid rate. In
the presence of an antibiotic, learning rate of bacteria increases by
several orders of magnitude. These observations and statements
have invaluable practical implications to control the development
of antibiotic resistance. Without urgent action, we are heading for
a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries
can once again kill the people as it used to happen in pre-antibiotic
era. Organ transplants, chemotherapy and surgeries become much
more dangerous without effective antibiotics for the prevention
and treatment of infections. The pharmaceutical industry has little
incentive to invest in antibiotics because the potential financial
returns are less likely to cover the cost of development. Now time
has come to discover and develop new antibiotics from natural
products by “Reverse Pharmacology” approach which reduces
three major bottlenecks cost, time and toxicity and being in contact
with pathogenic micro-organisms since centuries together, natural
products / medicinal herbs have developed complex substances
with them which are highly effective to tackle with these pathogens
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