Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a scientific theory and a process of evolution, where more and more living things are becoming increasingly immune to the effects of antibiotics. There are more than one plausible theory about the origin of this antibiotic resistance phenomenon, but it is slowly becoming more and more of a problem and science is doing everything humanly possible or otherwise to get it cured.

One of the theories of how antibiotic resistance actually originated has to do with farmers feeding antibiotics to their livestock. This can be just their way of treating certain infections in their bodies, but it can pass on an immune resistance to human beings that can be bred from parent to child. While it may not necessarily be a national emergency if a few people are not able to be treated with antibiotics due to a resistance to them, because as of today there are plenty of people who cannot be treated due to antibiotic resistance.

The global perspective and the medical perspective on antibiotic resistance is certainly different. The general worry however is that the antibiotic resistance phenomena will become an epidemic, and that most of the diseases that are so easily treatable with the help of antibiotics will no longer be treatable through this avenue. Antibiotic resistance spreading would put the medical industry back several years as pertaining to advancements that have been made with the implementation of antibiotics as treatment for several of the more common illnesses, especially those experienced by children like strep throat and ear infections. More vicious illnesses and diseases, like tuberculosis and gonorrhea are also treated with antibiotic drugs, so antibiotic resistance becoming more common would prove seriously detrimental to the health of millions of average, everyday citizens in the United States. At the same time as things are going right now, antibiotic resistance is already beginning to take its toll. These types of illnesses are becoming increasingly more and more difficult to treat using antibiotics, so eventually other methods will have to be explored.

One of the ways that people can fight the effects of antibiotic resistance is to take the entire prescribed course of medication when prescribed antibiotics. Just because you are feeling better after a few days does not mean that you should not finish out the length of your prescription. This is especially important, as is not taking antibiotic drugs for illnesses that shouldn’t be treated with antibiotics. The flu, for example, is not a bacteria or fungus related illness, therefore it is not necessary to administer antibiotics. The only thing that that accomplishes is to help the human body to build up a resistance to antibiotics, as they are chemically very similar to the types of disease fungus and bacteria that they can help to treat and hopefully cure.