What happens when antibiotics don’t work?

For Bhakti Chavan, this was not a hypothetical question but a reality. At 23 years old and living in Mumbai, India, Bhakti was diagnosed with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB). TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which like other bacteria as well as viruses, fungi and parasites, can develop defenses over time, rendering antimicrobial medicines less and less effective.

In the case of Bhakti, none of the first- or second-line treatments would work. Instead, she would have to get daily injections of novel antibiotics and take 7-8 combinations of antibiotics as pills over several months. Bhakti suffered from horrible side effects ranging from nausea to blurred vision and depression, and she was nearly completely isolated from her friends.

“It’s physical, financial, social,” she said.

After eight months of intensive treatment, Bhakti stopped receiving injections but continued taking antibiotics in the form of pills. In July 2019, Bhakti finally finished her treatment, nearly two full years after it began.

“In my case, I was very fortunate to get a timely diagnosis and have access to novel medicines provided by Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF). But there are many patients who are misdiagnosed for years, and they don’t get access to those medicines.”

Her experience instilled her with a passion for advocacy and antimicrobial R&D. She now works for a biotech company, where she contributes to the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Bhakti is also part of the WHO Task Force of AMR Survivors.

“AMR exists – it’s not a future pandemic. Without any prior history, I got infected with drug-resistant TB. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody,” says Bhakti.