Diseases caused by infection with bacteria are the second leading cause of death in the world, preceded by heart-related diseases, according to a very large study published today, Tuesday.
The study, published in The Lancet, stated that Staphylococcus aureus and Pneumococcus pneumoniae are among the deadliest viruses.
The study touched on about thirty types of bacteria that are the most disease-causing, and assessed the mortality rates associated with them.
This study was conducted as part of the Global Burden of Disease (Global Burden of Disease) programme. The scope of this large research program, funded by the Bill Gates Foundation, is unprecedented as it involves several thousand researchers from most parts of the world.
The authors of the report concluded that “deaths associated with the species of bacteria studied are the second leading cause of death worldwide” after coronary heart disease, which includes heart attacks in particular.
Of the 7.7 million deaths related to illnesses caused by bacteria, one in eight deaths can be attributed to this cause, although these numbers go back to 2019, before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the thirty species of bacteria studied, five of them are responsible for more than half of the deaths, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pneumococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The study indicated that Staphylococcus aureus was the “leading bacterial cause of death in 135 countries”.
pneumococcus is most deadly in children under five.
The results of the study indicated to the researchers the extent to which diseases caused by infection with bacteria constitute an “urgent priority” in the field of public health.
The researchers called for action to prevent infection, better use of antibiotics to specifically avoid resistance phenomena, in addition to better vaccination.
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