But bacteria are cunning creatures, and many of them have adapted to the treatments that used to destroy them. Now, drugs that used to treat infections effectively may not do the job completely – or work at all -- in some cases. When that happens, the bacteria is said to have become antibiotic resistant, and that poses a huge problem for medical teams and their patients.
How did this happen? Chiefly through medical personnel's antibiotics overuse, but also through the food system and consumer demand for antibiotic treatments for even minor illnesses.
Antibiotic use was first developed in the 1940s, gaining widespread traction as a wonder drug. Bacteria are living organisms and are found everywhere, including all over and inside our bodies. Many are helpful; some don’t cause harm, but some are dangerous and can cause severe illness or even death. Antibiotics work to stop bacterial growth and halt reproduction.
Resistance Is Not Futile
Bacteria develop resistance to certain drugs by mutating, developing defenses against the way the drug attacks them by protecting against it or simply by neutralizing the drug. Once bacteria has survived an antibiotic treatment, it can pass along its resistance when it multiplies. A bacteria may transfer its drug resistance to other bacteria, in essence passing along the secrets of its success in defeating the drug.
Medical professionals and researchers have anticipated this resistance for years, thanks to the over-use of antibiotics in their earliest development.
Antibiotics are used to attack bacterial infections, but not viral infections. One of the problems is many people developed the habit of taking them for contraindicated purposes. One classic example is taking an antibiotic for a sore throat caused by a virus. (Strep throat, however, is caused by bacteria and antibiotics are appropriate uses, however.)
Taking an antibiotic when it’s not necessary can be counter-productive because it may destroy beneficial bacteria. That helps promote resistance and is detrimental when antibiotic properties are needed to battle a bacterial infection.
Some examples of diseases where antibiotic use is not appropriate include the common cold, flu, bronchitis, sore throats, coughs, most ear infections, some sinus infections and stomach flu. Studies have reported that half of antibiotics prescribed for children were done so for upper respiratory infections caused by the common cold. That is a mistake -- colds are viral, and using antibiotics for upper respiratory illness can make children more susceptible to the antibiotic-resistant C.diff strain, which causes severe diarrhea and causes more than 14,000 deaths each year.
Researchers believe the C.diff phenomenon can be traced to antibiotic overuse, which kills helpful intestinal bacteria known as gut flora. These beneficial bacteria support immunity and help with general digestion. The use of antibiotics causes lasting changes that can open the door for C.diff.
In adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more cases of untreatable, antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea are emerging. This condition can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, tubal infertility, ectopic pregnancy and neonatal eye infections.
The CDC has targeted several of what it terms “nightmare bacteria” that have emerged, including the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which is fatal in half of cases.
Those cases aside, there are situations in which antibiotics are vital contributors to defeating bacteria, outweighing the potential harm in creating resistance. These include pneumonia, other lung problems, urinary tract infections and skin infections. Antibiotic use to treat these conditions is typically for a fixed period of time.
The pressure to assign antibiotics to an illness sometimes leads doctors to prescribe them before a test result verifies the actual cause of the sickness. In our modern world, patients demand quick treatments. There’s also the potential for consumption of gray-market antibiotics shipped from overseas or over the Internet by those who are self-diagnosing, sometimes mistakenly. People also keep their medications from past illnesses and turn to them at times to save money. This is a mistake for two reasons – first, patients should always take all of their medicine, which is designed to kill the bacteria for which they are being treated. Second, taking medications without a physician’s supervision promotes resistance by treating diseases that have no bacterial component.
The Future of Antibiotic Resistance
The development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has severe consequences for patients and the medical community. It eliminates a potent weapon in the battle against diseases and may increase the risk of infection for all operations.
Unfortunately, many pharmaceutical companies are not developing new antibiotic drugs, and scientific research, while promising in some quarters, still lags behind the needs of the general population.
A 2013 CDC report claimed that approximately 2 million people annually get an infection that has resistance to standard antibiotic treatments. That leads to about 23,000 deaths and increases the likelihood of more serious illnesses or disability, prolongs recovery time, longer hospitalizations, less effective treatments, more invasive treatments, more doctor visits, and increases the expenses associated with treatment.
This is a battle the medical community shares with the civilian population. There are some steps that can be taken to help preserve the efficacy of the antibiotics on hand, extending their lifespan and helping everyone. Many hospitals have new protocols designed to minimize antibiotics use, and patients can help by disposing of antibiotics properly if a physician tells you to stop (Hint: Don’t flush them down the toilet-- they can potentially enter the potable water treatment plants).
Steps you can take to minimize antibiotic resistance include:
· Not taking antibiotics prescribed for another person’s illness
· Refraining from pressuring doctors or emergency treatment facilities for antibiotic prescriptions
· Avoiding foodborne illnesses by thoroughly washing raw foods
· Making sure foods are properly heated or chilled and keeping kitchens clean
· Getting children vaccinated against such bacterial illnesses as whooping cough (which is enjoying a resurgence in the United States) and diphtheria
It is also important to make sure not to claim a penicillin allergy if unsure. Ask for a skin test to determine whether or not an allergy exists. This will help a doctor make more accurate prescriptions.