Queretaro, Mexico Jun. 19 (Notimex).- Rocío de la Torre Luna, student of Endodontic of the Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ, for its acronym in Spanish), won second place in the National Award for Research in Endodontics, with the topic “Detection of genes of antibiotic resistance blaTEM, cfxA, tetM and ermC in root canals (dental organs) with different diagnoses “.
The National Congress of Endodontics 2017 was held in Leon, Guanajuato, where the student explained that resistance to antibiotics has increased significantly in recent decades and this complicates the treatment of infections, with increasing resistance to different drugs, which results in a higher index of mortality, treatment costs and hospitalizations.
Rocio De la Torre Luna pointed out that the aim of this study was to identify the level of resistance to antibiotics in the state of Queretaro, resulting in microbial samples of root canals of about 100 patients from the University Clinic.
“We isolated the DNA and identified four resistance genes using molecular biology techniques. The frequency with which resistance genes were present in our population is alarming,” said De la Torre Luna.
She explained that as an endodontist her job is not only to eliminate the infection of the teeth in order not to extract them, but also seek to get rid of the bacteria that serves as reservoirs of genetic information, which provides mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics and makes them “super” bacteria, which can even penetrate into the oro-facial, intracranial, mediastinal or cervical region, and by resisting the effects of antibiotics can lead to serious septic complications that could become fatal.
The awarded said that the responsibility in this issue is shared since the doctors must give a prescription of antibiotic only when it is necessary and if the patient is not yet presenting the symptoms, it does not make sense to prescribe them, in addition it is necessary to have the knowledge to use the antibiotics that must be ideal for attacking each bacteria.
On the other side, “as patients we should also be aware of how important it is to pay periodic visits to the doctor and dentist and not just keep on looking on Google or YouTube for remedies,” she said.
Source: http://www.notimex.gob.mx/