Hosam Zowawi examines antibiotic-resistant bacteria at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Clinical Research in Brisbane. Source: Supplied
A SUPERBUG slayer from Brisbane has been named one of the world’s top young leaders.
Hosam Zowawi, a microbiologist at the University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, is one of seven people included in TIME magazine’s latest prestigious “Next Generation Leaders” list to be published today.
“It is such a great honour,” he said. “To be included in such a group is amazing.”
The 30-year-old is working on his PhD developing a ground-breaking diagnostic tool called “rapid superbug” which will enable doctors to identify and treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria within hours.
GRANT: ‘Mega superbug’ research gets funding boost
RESISTANCE: Overuse of antibiotics must be stopped
INFECTIONS: Deadly superbugs invade Royal Brisbane Hospital
It currently can take two to four days to detect and pinpoint the precise bacteria attacking a patient and target the treatment.
“In the meantime, doctors are using empirical methods of treatment, which is basically guesswork. You don’t want to be treating your patients based on guesswork,” Mr Zowawi said.
“If they don’t get it right, it can lead to severe outcomes. Reducing the time of correct diagnosis to a few hours would make a huge difference.”
At least two million cases of people developing superbugs are documented each year in the US alone.
Mr Zowawi comes from Saudi Arabia and much of his work has focused on the Gulf region of the Middle East where poor prescription and over-the-counter sales of antibiotics leading to misuse and overuse is helping to fuel the spread of superbugs.
But he said his research has global implications.
“What we see in the Middle East this year we might see next year in Australia or the UK or somewhere else,” he said.
Unless the threat from superbugs was tackled, medicine would be plunged back to a time before the introduction of antibiotics “when people died from very basic illness”, he warned.
TIME magazine said they set out to find young scientists, entrepreneurs and activists working hard to change the world.
Hosam Zowawi, 2014 Rolex Young Laureate from Rolex Awards for Enterprise on Vimeo.