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Why is Antibiotic Resistance a problem ?

Antibiotic  resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic.

It is a specific type of drug resistance.


Antibiotic resistance evolves naturally via natural selection through random mutation , but it could also be engineered by applying an evolutionary stress on a population.

Antibiotics disrupt essential structures or processes in bacteria. This in turn either kills the bacteria or stops them from multiplying.

Bacteria have in turn evolved many antibiotic resistance mechanisms to withstand the actions of antibiotics.

How bacteria resist antibiotics?
There are two main ways for bacteria to withstand the effects of a antibiotic :
  1. To stop the antibiotic from reaching its target at a high enough concentration.
  2. To modify or bypass the target that the antibiotic acts on.
Over time bacteria have evolved many different antibiotic resistance strategies to accomplish this.

Benefits of Antibiotics:
Antibiotics have not only saved patients lives, they have played a pivotal role in achieving major advances in medicine and surgery.

They have successfully prevented or treated infections that can occur in patients who are receiving chemotherapy treatments, who have chronic diseases such as diabetes,end stage arthritis or who have had complex surgeries such as organ transplants, joint replacement or cardiac surgery.

Antibiotics have also helped to extend expected life spans by changing the outcome of bacterial infections.

Causes of the antibiotic resistance crisis :
The overuse of antibiotics clearly drives the evolution of resistance.

Antibiotics remove drug sensitive competitors leaving resistance bacteria behind to reproduce as a result of natural selection.
Despite warnings regarding overuse , antibiotics are over prescribed  worldwide.

Inappropriate prescribing :
Incorrectly prescribed antibiotics also contribute to the promotion of resistant bacteria.
Studies have shown that treatment indication, choice of agent, or duration of antibiotics therapy is incorrect in 30 % to 50 % of cases.

Incorrectly prescribed antibiotics have questionable therapeutic benefits and expose patients to potential complications of antibiotic therapy.

Antibiotic resistance facts :
  • Antibiotics have been used for a long time and are frequently prescribed because of this widespread use , the infectious bacteria the antibiotics were designed target have adapted and changed , making the drug less effective. This is antibiotic resistance.
  • Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections such as the common cold, most sore throats , and the flu. Using antibiotics when they are not needed contributes to antibiotic resistance and unwanted side effects.
  • The more antibiotics are used, the more resistant the bacteria can become because sensitive bacteria are killed , but stronger germ resist the treatment and grow and multiply. Repeated and improper use of antibiotics contributes to this process.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states antibiotic resistance is a common public health problem because nearly all types of bacteria have become stronger and less responsive to antibiotic treatment.
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