How Scientists Help in Fighting Pathologic Conditions

As we go about with the hurly-burly of our daily existence, we are unaware that scientists are racing against time to discover a cure for AIDS and a way to solve the problems that disease microbes bring to humans; an example is the AIDS virus that has already killed almost 30 million people all over the world.

Microbes are minute organisms (bacteria, virus, and fungi) that are invisible to the naked eye, and as such are difficult to control and prevent. If nothing is done about them, they will continue to exterminate people in increasing, alarming rates.

In the medical field, specifically with diseases-causing microbes (pathogenic microorganisms), scientists have extremely significant roles which fall into the following categories:

1. They are tasked to discover which antibiotic is more effective in treating diseases caused by microorganisms. This is done through the following:

1.1.A specimen is obtained from the infected person, under aseptic conditions. The specimen is the biological fluid coming from the infected area. i.e. Mucus specimen in lung conditions. Contamination of the specimen from outside substances should be avoided to ensure accuracy of results.

1.2.Specimen is then made to grow and multiply by culturing and nurturing them in nutrient media or agar. This would allow them to grow; a pure culture should be obtained.

1.3.This pure culture is then subjected to different antibiotics (in the form of small discs). They are "planted" amidst the growth of these microbes.

1.4.The zone of inhibition in the microbial culture (clear zone around the antibiotic) is then measured. The larger the zone of inhibition, the more effective the antibiotic is. If there is no zone of inhibition, then the microorganism is resistant to the drug.

This will determine then which drug is the most effective for each individual in treating the disease. The acquired knowledge would help physicians in successfully treating the disease.

2.

They devise vaccines use in immunizations for diseases caused by these microbes.

The vaccines are derived from the microbe itself. The principle of vaccine preparation is that, the attenuated (weakened) microbes (usually viruses), are injected to a person through the process of immunization. These microbes containing the antigen will not infect the person because it has been weakened. But it will be able to cause the production of antibodies to that particular microbe. These antibodies then will counter any future infection with the same disease, because the antibody produced in the person would react with the antigen of the infecting microorganism neutralizing the infection.

So far vaccines against measles, smallpox, tetanus, pertussis, polio and hepatitis B have been developed. Scientists had made the invention of vaccines a priority as mortality increases every year. The discovery of a vaccine for HIV in the Medical Research Council of Canada in 1991 had made scientists hopeful that the effectiveness of these vaccines would prove evident in the near future.

Vaccines for other fatal diseases are presently being investigated on. Although advances are made already, a 100 % effective vaccine has still to be discovered for botulism, anthrax and many more debilitating conditions caused by disease producing microorganisms. (pathogenic microbes)

3.
They are devising a safe, scientific method of altering whatever genes/cells present in the body, that are vulnerable to these pathogenic microbes.

Scientists are now into genetic engineering or alteration. DNA and RNA manipulation are being conducted in animals to test the feasibility of the project in humans. They are trying to discover ways in which the genes which are susceptible to microbes could be removed; that way we would not become infected.

This experimentation; however, is being done only in animals. Scientists understand that because of the ethical and moral constraints that this experiment would entail, it would still be far from being implemented. Humans, as experimental animals, are still being scoffed at in the scientific community; unless the condition of the person is terminal, there is no hope for a cure and the patient volunteers for the experiment.

4.
They are experimenting on eradicating in the environment the pathogenic microbe before it reaches its host.

The first attempt was the invention of insect repellants which could kill bugs like mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are the vectors of several diseases like malaria and dengue fever. When these are killed, the danger of the spread of the disease is gone. Other substances are still being experimented carefully because of the danger of causing death not only to the microbes or bugs themselves but also to man.

Scientists have a crucial war in our fight against disease causing microbes. Many of us are not aware of this, but scientists all over the world are racing against time and are closely working with each other to save mankind from early annihilation. They should be awarded the medal of valor for a herculean task such as this, the fight against disease causing microbes.