Structural Balance Theory in the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance is when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites continue to grow even when exposed to antimicrobial drugs. The factors that cause antimicrobial resistance include misuse and overuse of antibiotics and contaminated water. It is a global threat because 700,000 people die due to available antimicrobial drugs failing to treat their infections. By 2050, according to the article, antimicrobial resistance may become the leading global cause of death.
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), a global medical technology company, announced that it would partner with Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc., an innovator of rapid testing solutions for antibiotic resistance and susceptibility, to widen access to Accelerate Diagnostics’ rapid testing solutions. BD will market the Accelerate Pheno system, Accelerate Arc module, and related test kits through its global network. Both companies want to address the global threat of antimicrobial resistance together. PhenoTest BC kit, one of the products under this agreement, can deliver both early identification and phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility results in one to two days faster than conventional methods. With the PhenoTest BC kit, clinicians can help patients receive the appropriate antibiotic treatment faster.
I learned from the lecture on the Structural Balance Theory that a labeled complete graph is balanced if every set of three nodes in that graph consists of three edges labeled + or if only one of the three edges is labeled +. If a triangle represents a group of three people, having a triangle with the three edges labeled as + means that three people are mutual friends. If only one edge is labeled + in the triangle, two mutual friends have a common enemy.
A balanced triangle can represent the example of BD and Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc.’s agreement. BD and Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. form an edge labeled + because they agreed to work together to fight antimicrobial resistance. Let’s suppose that Hospital A buys Accelerate Diagnostics’ PhenoTest BC kits after the agreement between Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. and BD. BD and Hospital A would have an edge labeled as + because BD sold those kits to Hospital A and Hospital A paid for them. Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc. and Hospital A would also have an edge labeled as + because Accelerate made those kits, and Hospital A would not have them if it was not for Accelerate. Therefore, with all the three edges being +, BD, Accelerate, and Hospital A form a balanced triangle.
https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/chemicals-waste/what-we-do/emerging-issues/antimicrobial-resistance-global-threat
https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/bd-accelerate-to-collaborate-on-testing-kit-distribution-271660563768