Antibiotic resistance and the development of resistant bacteria

Antibiotics

When Antibiotics Quit Working

When they first began to be used, antibiotics were considered miracle drugs because they cured infections that normally killed many people. Over the decades, these compounds have come to be a common treatment for bacterial infections. But as the use of antibiotics has increased, a seriously dangerous side-effect has developed: antibiotic resistant bacteria. Almost every bacteria that has been treated with antibiotics over the years has become more resistant to the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments. As a result, bacterial infections are more difficult than ever to treat and infections that have no loner been seen as a threat to humans are beginning to return and threatening people once again.

It was in 1928 that Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic, called penicillin. Antibiotics are "natural compounds produced by a fungus or another microorganism that kills bacteria which cause disease in humans or animals." ("Antibiotic Resistance Questions and Answers.") Modern technology has created a number of synthetic compounds, those produced artificially, but whether they are naturally occurring or synthetic, they are sometimes referred to as "antimicrobial agents." These compounds should be prescribed when three criteria have been established. Firstly a physician must make certain that the patient is suffering from a bacterial infection. Secondly, the bacterial infection must be susceptible to an antibiotic treatment. And finally, a physician must check for possible "side effects or drug-drug interactions." ("Appropriate Antimicrobial Prescribing")

Sometimes, when bacteria "change in some way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of drug, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure or prevent infections," bacteria can become "antibiotic resistant." ("Antibiotic Resistance Questions and Answers.") While most bacteria are killed when an antibiotic is used, there can be some remaining bacteria that are naturally resistant. Repeated and improper use of antibiotics can increase the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can then spread to others. Another way that antibiotic resistant bacteria are created is through a process called "transformation; where one bacteria incorporates the DNA of another, antibiotic resistant bacteria." ("Microbes: What Doesn't Kill Them Makes Them Stronger") Finally, bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics through the transfer of plasmid DNA, or circles of DNA that enter bacteria and confer resistance. In the decades since the introduction of antibiotics, the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria have dramatically increased. These antibiotic resistant bacteria are easily spread through a community, infecting family members, co-workers, schoolmates, etc., introducing new strains that are more challenging to treat and cure.