| ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT BACTERIA |
| What is bacteria? Bacteria is defined as being: "a large group of small, unicellular microorganisms found in the soil, water, and air, some of which cause disease in humans and other animals." (Barron's Medical Guides Dictionary of Medical Terms - see reference page) Bacteria doubles at an alarming rate. What are antibiotics? An antibiotic is a drug that is synthetically made or produced from live microorganisms. It is introduced into your body to destroy the microorganisms that are causing an infection. What is antibiotic resistance? The bacteria causing an infection, over time may build up a tolerance to the antibiotic being given. Increasing use of these antibiotics may lead to resistance of the drug entirely. The bacteria that is not destroyed by the antibiotics remains in the body. Other strains of antibiotics are then used, but they too could face some resistance. What can cause bacteria to be antibiotic resistant? *Overuse of antibiotics -Why? The bacteria builds up a tolerance that can lead to resistance. *Underuse of antibiotics -Why? Not completing a prescription leaves some bacteria unaffected. *Misuse of antibiotics -Why? The antibiotic is not the proper medication for the illness. For example, antibiotics have no effect on viruses (ie. a cold). Someone else's antibiotics may not be the right treatment for your illness. **A new antibiotic has not been introduced in the past ten years. Therefore treatment of bacteria is limited to the antibiotics in existence. |