THERE ARE USES

Despite the problems, there are still infections that are best dealt with by using antibiotics. These are usually conditions that aren’t the run of the mill infections, but are specialized circumstances where the bacteria haven’t been constantly exposed to the antibiotics treatments that can kill them.

Here are a few things that antibiotics can still treat:

1.    Pneumonia: This is a serious lung disease, and fortunately, all antibiotics used to treat it have a high success rate, typically more than 80 percent. Vancomycin even works against some bacteria that are resistant to other antibiotics. Treatments for pneumonia usually have a positive effect within three days.

2.    Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis - The antibiotic azithromycin (sold under the brand name Zithromax) has improved life for patients with this disorder, which is a rare lung condition that strikes many children in developing countries and an estimated 110,000 adults in the United States.

3.    Skin conditions - Tetracyclines are used to treat infections of the chest, pelvis and skin, and also help with rosacea, acne and perioral dermatitis. The tetracycline’s can suppress but not cure the conditions, so the drug needs to be continued for weeks or even months while the disease is present.

4.    Urinary tract infections - The first step in treating urinary tract issue is antibiotics. Which drugs are used depends on type of bacteria that are causing the problems. Among the antibiotics used are Fosfomycin, Cephalexin and Azithromycin, among many others.

5.    Endocarditis - Certain heart conditions can be deadly if bacteria get into the bloodstream. At-risk patients include people with artificial heart valves or certain congenital heart defects. Thus, before dental work or other procedures that could potentially allow bacteria to enter the bloodstream, some patients with these conditions take preventative antibiotics prior to procedures to ensure that bacteria will be corralled.