The development of vaccines was one of the major milestones of modern medicine. Without it, deadly infectious diseases like smallpox and polio could still be threatening our lives. Vaccines help us manage and live with new infectious agents that are continuously evolving. The arms race is inevitable and will continue between humans and infectious agents; however, researchers aim to stay one step ahead. Relative to the stagnant antimicrobial R&D due to the accelerated emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that reduces the time span of drugs and revenue, vaccine research shows a more hopeful outlook.
Vaccines can be used to protect against potential pathogens. If we prevent the infections, the consumption of antimicrobials will also reduce, and overall, the risk of AMR can potentially diminish. However, the use of vaccines is not as widely advocated and applied for the control of AMR. Currently, there are only a handful of vaccines that have been introduced to help control AMR. A successful example includes the pneumococcal vaccine for controlling the Group A Streptococcus pathogens causing strep throat and skin infections. The vaccine showed a decreased rate of pathogen carriage and infections, which led to reduced antibiotics prescriptions and stalled the dissemination of AMR. Another example includes the Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine, which is combined with other vaccines to protect against diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis.
The vaccines prevent and reduce the incidence of infections, which can also indirectly prevent secondary bacterial or viral superinfections. Overall, the prophylactic use of antibiotics can also be significantly reduced from the administration of vaccines. Veterinary and agricultural settings, which globally consume a very high rate of antibiotics, are also starting to adopt vaccines for food-producing animals. The preventive nature of vaccines alleviates a significant portion of selection pressure on both the pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria and can slow down the resistance development. If in rare cases resistance to vaccines emerges, the initial uptake of the vaccine has already provided some protection for the population and hence lowered some potential disease burden. Due to such a reason, vaccine resistance is a better outcome than antimicrobial resistance, and more research should be focused on vaccine development.
The best way to manage and control AMR is through the reduction of antimicrobial use in all sectors, including clinical, agricultural, and environmental. Because it is nearly impossible to quickly cut down the consumption of antimicrobials that have become so integrated into our lives, such as the use of antibiotics as prophylaxis before surgical procedures, or growth hormone in industrial farming, we need to also focus on alternative routes in controlling AMR. Vaccines are used to protect against potential infections, which will reduce the need for treatments. Not exposing pathogens to antibiotics will eliminate the chance of bacteria developing resistance. Overall, prevention rather than alternative treatments is a more sustainable approach in combatting AMR.
