Antibiotic Resistance: What It Is and How Much You Can Prevent It

The discovery of antibiotics was a game-changer that revolutionized medicine in the twentieth century. In the United States alone, more than 150 million prescriptions for antibiotics are made each year. Bacteria, unfortunately, are adapting to the medications and growing more resistant to treatment. In medical terminology, we call that a case of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are those that antibiotics are unable to control or kill. Despite the presence of an antibiotic, they can thrive and even multiply. Most bacteria that cause infections can develop resistance to some commonly prescribed antibiotics. Moreover, in cases where bacteria are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, they're described as "multi-resistant" (MRO).

The world seriously needs to alter the manner it administers and consumes antibiotics. Resistant bacteria won't go away just because new medications are created; they'll only adapt their behavior instead. Behavior modification must also involve steps to minimize the transmission of illnesses, such as immunization, hand washing, and food hygiene.

A Worldwide Problem

Globally, the threat of antibiotic resistance is becoming increasingly accurate. Infectious disease treatment is under threat due to the emergence and spread of new resistance mechanisms worldwide. As antibiotics lose their effectiveness, a rising number of infections, such as blood poisoning, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, foodborne diseases, and pneumonia, are becoming more difficult, if not impossible, to cure.

Previously widely used antibiotics are no longer effective against some strains of bacteria. MRSA and gonorrhea-causing Neisseria gonorrhoeae are now virtually always immune to benzylpenicillin, for example.

In the past, penicillin was used to treat these ailments. Moreover, resistance to medicines has become such a significant issue that some bacteria are no longer treatable with even the most basic treatments. This is a substantial public health issue since these pathogens are capable of causing severe illness. Here are some excellent examples:

• multi-drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB)
• methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) gut bacteria

According to BuzzRx, having access to medications without a prescription increases the risk of developing and spreading antibiotic resistance. It is also common for health workers to overprescribe and overuse antibiotics in areas without established treatment protocols.

Without immediate action, we are on the verge of a post-antibiotic age in which common diseases and minor injuries once again pose a threat to our health and well-being.

Core Actions to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance

The abuse and misuse of antibiotics and inadequate infection prevention and control contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. The following actions listed below can be taken at all social levels to minimize the development and spread of resistance:

Infection Prevention

Antibiotics are less likely to be needed if infections are prevented in the first place, and resistance can develop more slowly as a result.

Preventing drug-resistant illnesses can be done in several ways: vaccinations, careful food preparation, sanitizing, and the use of antibiotics only when necessary and as prescribed. Moreover, the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can potentially be halted by preventing infection in the first place.

Antibiotic Prescribing Improvement

Changes in how antibiotics are used could be the most crucial step in slowing the rise of antibiotic-resistant illnesses. Up to half of the antibiotics used in humans aren't needed or aren't safe; this makes others less safe and puts them at risk.

As a solution, slowing the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria would be substantially aided if the improper and unneeded use of antibiotics in humans could be stopped. Using antibiotics effectively and safely means only using them when necessary to treat disease and making sure that the correct medicines are selected and administered.

Monitoring

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects data on antibiotic-resistant illnesses, the causes of infections, and whether there are specific risk factors that caused certain patients to get a resistant infection.

With this information, scientists can devise targeted tactics for avoiding illness and halting the spread of microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics.

Innovations in Pharmaceutical Research

Due to antibiotic resistance developing naturally, it can only be slowed but not stopped. We'll need new medications and diagnostic methods to monitor resistance over time to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Why You Should Care

Even though new antibiotics are in development, none of them are predicted to be effective against the most severe kinds of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide concern, requiring efforts from all governments and sectors, given the ease and regularity people travel.

When first-line antibiotics are no longer effective, additional expensive medications are required. The cost of healthcare and the financial impact on families is exacerbated by long-term illness and treatment in hospitals. It is becoming increasingly difficult to treat patients with antibiotic-resistant infections.

The risks of organ transplants, chemotherapy, and procedures such as cesarean sections become even more dangerous if antibiotics are not available to prevent and cure ailments.