Developing Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches to Bacterial Infections for a New Era: Implications of Globalization

Abstract

In just a few months, the current coronavirus pandemic has exposed the need for a more global approach to human health. Indeed, the quick spread of infectious diseases and their unpredictable consequences, in terms of human lives and economic losses, will require a change in our strategy, both at the clinical and the research level. Ultimately, we should be ready to fight against infectious diseases affecting a huge number of people in different parts of the world. This new scenario will require rapid, inexpensive diagnostic systems, applicable anywhere in the world and, preferably, without the need for specialized personnel. Also, treatments for these diseases must be versatile, easily scalable, cheap, and easy to apply. All this will only be possible with joint support of the governments, which will have to make the requirements for the approval of new therapies more flexible. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical sector must commit to prioritizing products of global interest over the most profitable ones. Extreme circumstances demand a vehement response, and any profit losses may well pay dividends going forward. Here, we summarize the developing technologies destined to face the current and future health challenges derived from infectious diseases and discuss which ones have more possibilities of being implemented.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance; diagnostic systems; globalization; infectious diseases; new therapies.

Figure 1

Overview scheme of main pathogen detection systems. Level of implementation in clinical laboratories: * (low); ** (medium); *** (high).

Figure 2

Overview scheme of potential alternatives to antibiotics that are currently under development. Level of development: * (low, laboratory research); ** (medium, animal models); *** (high, clinical trials).