Antibiotics

2503 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Use and overuse of antibiotics

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IS A BIG PROBLEM. HOW CAN WE REDUCE IT?

The Problem
Antibiotics have been vitally important for many years in treating infectious diseases in both, humans and animals. Their discovery was described as the miracle of the 20th century [1]. However the overuse of antibiotics caused the emergence of a new problem, antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics completely changed medical care in the 1940s. It has also saved many lives over the years. The most important role of antibiotics is to treat a range of harmful illnesses caused by bacteria and throughout the early years, antibiotics developed quicker than bacteria developed resistance. Between the 1950s and 1960s scientists managed to discover many new antibiotics, but in the 1980s and 90s scientists were only able to improve existing ones. A report by The Standing Medical Advisory Committee states that micro-organisms are getting ahead and no more antibiotics are being discovered [2].
Bacteria usually live on and in all creatures. Not all bacteria are pathogenic (disease producing) in fact, many are harmless. Pathogenic bacteria can cause very serious infections. Before antibiotics were discovered, there were many deaths due to bacterial infections [1].
Penicillin was the first antibiotic discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. He observed a set of culture dishes that were used to grow staphylococcus. He saw that a mould was growing around the staphylococcus this mould produced a bacteria-free ring around itself. Two other scientists, Florey and Chain, developed penicillin into an effective drug. Penicillin was tested for over 20 years on both humans and animals. In 1941 scientists noticed that even low doses of penicillin that were produced prevented many deadl...

... middle of paper ...

...ields of medicine, healthcare, internet technology and business. It also contains a peer reviewed editorial policy which allows it to be a reliable source.
YouTube [16] is a popular website known worldwide to many people around the world. The reliability of it depends on the video chosen and by whom it is hosted. The video I have chosen is hosted by Dr. Karl Klose. Dr.Klose has a PhD in microbiology from the University of California Berkeley and he performed postdoctoral studies in microbial Pathogenesis at Harvard Medical School. This means he is not any random person talking about the problem; in fact he knows about bacteria and he studied about it. Dr.Klose can be a bias scientist, which would mean that he is only talking about his point of view. By searching other sources I noticed that what he was saying was found in other websites, so this source is reliable.

Show More
Related

  • The Factor of War in the Development of Penicillin

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Factor of War in the Development of Penicillin The discovery, development and subsequent use of penicillin can be considered to be one of the most important breakthroughs in medical history. There were many factors, which were involved in the development of penicillin, and it could be argued that war was the most important, but other factors were also responsible. Alexander Fleming was working in London as a bacteriologist in 1928 when he noticed that a growth of a mould called penicillin produced a substance that actually killed the germs he was working on. He realised that this might be very important and a year later he wrote an article about his findings. However, Fleming did not have the facilities or the support to develop and test his idea that penicillin could fight infection, and he didn't develop it further.

    Read More

  • World War II: How Penicillin Saved American Life

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Penicillin, derived from the mold Penicillium, is the first antibiotic to successfully treat bacterial infections on humans. It was accidentally discovered by scientist, Alexander Fleming. While Fleming was growing Staphylococcus, a serious and often deadly infection, in a dish, he noticed the bacteria had stopped growing after a mold found its way

    Read More

  • Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the last decade, the number of prescriptions for antibiotics has increases. Even though, antibiotics are helpful, an excess amount of antibiotics can be dangerous. Quite often antibiotics are wrongly prescribed to cure viruses when they are meant to target bacteria. Antibiotics are a type of medicine that is prone to kill microorganisms, or bacteria. By examining the PBS documentary Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria and the article “U.S. government taps GlaxoSmithKline for New Antibiotics” by Ben Hirschler as well as a few other articles can help depict the problem that is of doctors prescribing antibiotics wrongly or excessively, which can led to becoming harmful to the body.

    Read More

  • Superbugs Essay

    2729 Words  | 6 Pages

    Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has presented many problems in our society, including an increased chance of fatality due to infections that could have otherwise been treated with success. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, but overexposure to these drugs give the bacteria more opportunities to mutate, forming resistant strains. Through natural selection, those few mutated bacteria are able to survive treatments of antibiotics and then pass on their genes to other bacterial cells through lateral gene transfer (Zhaxybayeva, 2011). Once resistance builds in one patient, it is possible for the strain to be transmitted to others through improper hygiene and failure to isolate patients in hospitals.

    Read More

  • The Medical Advances of World War I

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Years later other scientists were also intrigued by the possibilities of penicillin and produced enough penicillin to prove that it was a useable antibiotic. The scientists from Great Britain were developing all of this during World War II, and unfortunately funding for their drug was unavailable due to the war. They decided to bring their concepts to the United States, and once enough was made, it was eventually used, to treat wounded soldiers during World War I.

    Read More

  • Fahrenheit 451: The Overuse Of Prescription Drugs In America

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to USA Today, U.S. doctors are prescribing enough antibiotics to give to 4 out of 5 Americans every year, an alarming pace that suggests they are being excruciatingly overused. In fact, Dr. Aunna Pourang from MD states, “to give you an idea of how high the pressure is to prescribe antibiotics, I didn’t get a job once because during the interview I told the lead physician that I only prescribe antibiotic prescriptions when they are warranted.” The development and widespread obsession of antibiotics, or drugs that kill bacteria and thereby reduce infection, has helped billions of people live longer, healthier lives. Unfortunately, the more we rely on and abuse antibiotics, the more bacteria develop resistance to them, which makes treating infections that much more challenging and leads to the growth of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Research from the Center of Disease Control found that two million people in the United States become infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria, while 23,000 people die from such infections each year. Americans often aren’t informed on the power of the human body and rush to assumptions when perfection isn’t present. In a nutshell, the obsession of antibiotics is quite deadly and needs to be addressed before it’s too

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Antibiotic Resistance Is Worrisome

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carroll. Even with widespread controversy over antibiotic resistance, Carroll remained neutral with his writing, pointing out facts that fit both sides of the argument. One of the most important issues addressed in the article was the lack of education when it comes to the proper use of antibiotics. The health of the public would benefit greatly from education about viruses and bacterial infections. Carroll’s article is a good resource for the basis of the topic’s education. The article informs readers about the importance of antibiotics and the development of antibiotic resistance as well as future prevention and research for antibiotic

    Read More

  • Antibiotic for Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    The common cold is one of the most prevalent illnesses worldwide. It is caused by a virus that inflames the membranes in the lining of the nose and throat, colds can be the result of more than 200 different viruses [10].The antibiotics don't work against any infections caused by viruses [11]. They are a powerful medicines that fight bacterial infections [12]. Antibiotics were first used to treat serious infections in the 1940s. Since then, antibiotics have saved millions of lives and transformed modern medicine. During the last 70 years, however, bacteria have shown the ability to become resistant to every antibiotic that has been developed [13].Taking unnecessary antibiotic can be dangerous to the health and can increase the risk of antibiotic resistance [14]. World Health Organization (WHO) define the Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as the resistance of a microorganism to an antimicrobial agent to which it was originally sensitive. [3] Antibiotics were prescribed in 68% of acute respiratory tract visits and of those, 80% were unnecessary according to disease control center (CDC) guidelines. $1.1 billion is spent annually on unnecessary adult upper respiratory infection antibiotic prescriptions. When antibiotics fail to work, the consequences are longer-lasting illnesses, more doctor visits or extended hospital stays, and the need for more expensive and toxic medications. Some resistant infections can even cause death [2].The judicious prescription of antibiotics has become a central focus of professional and public health measures to combat the spread of resistant organisms. [15]

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    This turn of events presents us with an alarming problem. Strains of bacteria that are resistant to all prescribed antibiotics are beginning to appear. As a result, diseases such as tuberculosis and penicillin-resistant gonorrhea are reemerging on a worldwide scale (1). Resistance first appears in a population of bacteria through conditions that favor its selection. When an antibiotic attacks a group of bacteria, cells that are highly susceptible to the medicine will die.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Antibiotic Resistance

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most effective way to combat pathogenic bacteria which invade the body is the use of antibiotics. Overexposure to antibiotics can easily lead to resistant strains of bacteria. Resistance is dangerous because bacteria can easily spread from person to person. Simple methods for preventing excessive bacterial spread are often overlooked. Not all preventative measures are even adequate. Doctors and patients often use antibiotics unnecessarily or incorrectly, leading to greater resistance. Antibiotics are used heavily in livestock and this excessive antibiotic use can create resistant bacteria and transfer them to humans. In order to reduce resistant bacteria,

    Read More

  • The Overuse of Antibiotics

    3053 Words  | 7 Pages

    Alexander Fleming started the history of antibiotics in the 1920's with his discovery of penicillin.When penicillin was first discovered and used widely, it was touted as a wonder drug, and consequently was used as one.Though not necessarily harmful to the patient penicillin was used for much more infections than it was able to combat.Today the same practice is observed in the medical profession, however at this point it is due more to the detriment of an uneducated public.Studies have been carried out that show the huge over usage of antibiotics.In the seventies Soyka et al, concluded, "60% of physicians surveyed gave antibiotics for the treatment of the common cold."[3], and by common knowledge the common cold is a virus, something that cannot be treated by an antibiotic.Nyquist

    Read More

  • Alexander Fleming: The Discovery of Penicillin

    1895 Words  | 4 Pages

    Discovery and Development of Penicillin. (2014, April 4). Retrieved from American Chemical Society International Historic Chemical Landmarks: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html

    Read More

  • The Discovery of Antibiotics by Alexander Fleming

    3182 Words  | 7 Pages

    The discovery of antibiotics is attributed to Alexander Fleming who discovered the first antibiotic to be commercially used (Penicillin) in approximately 1928. An antibiotic, also known as an antimicrobial, is a medication that is taken in order to either destroy or slow the growth rate of bacteria. Antibiotics are integral to the success of many medical practises, such as; surgical procedures, organ transplants, the treatment of cancer and the treatment of the critically ill. (Ramanan Laxminarayan, 2013)

    Read More

  • The Effects of Music on Bacteria Growth

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you hear the word bacteria the first thing that might come to mind would be a germ. Although there can be many harmful types of bacteria, it is an essential part of life. Bacterium is all over...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Antibiotics

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    Medical advancements have played a huge part in human history. Since 1877 the knowledge of antibiotics has expanded greatly. Antibiotics are constantly needed and new developments are crucial to human society. This topic should be known by all humans because antibiotics can be the difference of life and death. This industry and it’s success alters the health of many humans. Things like polio, chicken pox and measles are no longer taking lives. As new sicknesses form we need new antibiotics to counteract the new sicknesses. If we allow the demise of this industry, we will allow the demise of human health. Antibiotics began in the laboratory through scientist’s discoveries. Then many strides and improvements during the mid 1900’s caused a change within the production. “These improvements came in the early 1940s when Howard Florey and associates discovered a new strain of Penicillium, which produced high yields of penicillin. This allowed large-scale production of penicillin, which helped launch the modern antibiotics industry.” (Romanowski ) The modern antibiotics industry as we know it is much different than it began. The first company to produce antibiotics as we know it today, was Pfizer. Their success really began when they mass produced citric acid through fermentation. Then, in 1941,

    Read More

More about Antibiotics

Open Document