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Invention of antibiotics essay
The Discovery of Antibiotics
The advancement of antibiotics in the 20th century
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The discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century was a major advancement in medicine. At the time of the discovery, war was taking place, which resulted in a plethora of infected wounds. Antibiotics can be described as a use, laboratory effect, or an action of a chemical compound (Clardy et al). Selman Waksman first used the term in 1941 when describing the small molecules made by microorganisms that prevent the growth of other microorganisms (Clardy et al). Antibiotics helped control the infection which allowed many who were injured a second chance to live. The antibiotic that was first discovered and used to cure war infections was penicillin. Since the discovery of antibiotics, controlling infections and diseases became easier, but it was also a medical pitfall. The effectiveness of any type of therapeutic agent is often times compromised by the formation of resistance or tolerance to that compound. This is particularly true for agents used to treat bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral infections; treated by antibiotics. Mechanisms that can be responsible for this phenomenon range from being biological to physiological. Many agencies have recognized this problem and have been taking steps to resolve it. To understand how antibiotics are successful or not, it is required to understand its history, and also the functions of bacteria in the human body. Also, it is important to know what a bacteria is and how it affects the human body. This will help doctors and researchers with solutions to prevent resistance. Though numerous resolutions and recommendations have been proposed, the bacterial resistance to antibiotics is relentless.
Bacteria were first noticed in the 1800s when there was an increase in death of mo...
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...regulated polymerase, reducing resistance-conferring mutations, can reduce the inhibition of mutation (Cirz).
The evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is inevitable. One might say that it is a part of the evolutionary process of life. Resistance to antibiotics creates a major problem for the treatment of infections and disease, but there are steps that can be taken to reduce the effects. By understanding the history, origin, and functions of antibiotics and bacteria, solutions can be developed. As of today, scientists and doctors are fighting the bacterial resistance to antibiotics by taking steps such as proper consultation before prescribing certain antibiotics, and deeper research about bacteria and antibiotics. There are numbers of short-term fixes that help slow the process of resistance, but a long-term fix is yet to be discovered.
Penicillin is an antibiotic that kills bacteria, sufficiently treating any injuries. This drug was invented before the war, but had its major outbreak during World War II. Once scientists discovered the potential of penicillin, they aggressively started to pursue methods to mass produce the drug. The mass production of penicillin saved many American lives and led to our victory during World War II.
A remarkable breakthrough in medicine occurred in the late 1800s through the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's experiments showed that bacteria reproduce like other living things and travel from place to place. Using the results of his findings, he developed pasteurization, which is the process of heating liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. He also produced an anthrax vaccine as well as a way to weaken the rabies virus. After studying Pasteur's work, Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, which is the process of killing disease-causing germs. In 1865 before an operation, he cleansed a leg wound first with carbolic acid, and performed the surgery with sterilized (by heat) instruments. The wound healed, and the patient survived. Prior to surgery, the patient would've needed an amputation. However, by incorporating these antiseptic procedures in all of his surgeries, he decreased postoperative deaths. The use of antiseptics eventually helped reduce bacterial infection not only in surgery but also in childbirth and in the treatment of battle wounds. Another man that made discoveries that reinforced those of Pasteur's was Robert Koch. Robert Koch isolated the germ that causes tuberculosis, identified the germ responsible for Asiatic cholera, and developed sanitary measures to prevent disease. (1)
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.
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.
In crowded conditions, the rate of infection is even more rapid. The diseases brought over to America were mainly spread by the respiratory method. The pathogenesis of infection is through the ingestion of contaminated food and water. Throughout Europe during the 15th century, food and water were contaminated with fecal matter and by unsanitary habits ( i.e. the lack of bathing). The traumatic route of infection is through insect and animal bites.
Linton, Alan. 1982. Microbes, Man and Animals: The Natural History of Microbial Interactions. John Wiley & Sons. 342pp
those that correlate to the flesh-eating bacteria now known as streptococcus pyogenes. Due to Hippocrates’ acts as a pioneer in the medical field, these chronicles are the first recordings we have of the existence of the bacteria.
The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail. The main diseases that showed the most virulence during the time were cholera, yellow fever and consumption, now known as tuberculosis. The 9th census mortality data showed that 1 out 7 deaths from disease were caused by tuberculosis and 1 out of 24 disease deaths were resulting from cholera. . Until the 1870s the general consensus of the spread of disease through population was still the primitive idea that it came from the individual and not specifically the pathogen.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Throughout history disease has run rampant taking many lives with every passing day. Finding a cure or even just a tool in the battle has been the main focus of scientist throughout time. This focus is what brought us the discovery of antibiotics. Over the years antibiotics have been misused by patients, over prescribed by physicians and have led to resistant strains of bacteria.
Bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics is a major problem not only for the United States, but worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) the cause is related to “widespread overuse, as well as inappropriate use, of antibiotics that is fueling antibiotic resistance”. According to World Health Organization (2013) resistance is a global concern for several reasons; it impedes the control of infectious diseases, increases healthcare costs, and the death rate for patients with resistant bacterial infections is twice of those with non-resistant bacterial infections.
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.
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,
Thesis: With the advent of antibiotics in 1929 Fleming said, "The time may come when penicillin can be bought by anyone in the shops.Then there is the danger that the ignorant man may easily underdose himself and by exposing his microbes to non-lethal quantities of the drug make them resistant."With the overuse of antibiotics today we have seen this very idea come to be.Over usage is caused most prevalently by a lack of education on the part of the patient.Thus stated, the way to overcome such a circumstance is to educate, not only the patient but also the physician.
It was believed that cholera was caused by an exorbitant production of bile by the patient before the study of bacteria gained importance and before microorganisms were linked to infectious diseases. In the 1800s this explanation was no longer adequate,and scientists started to look for new answers. In the 19th century, around the time a cholera pandemic was devastating Asia, the disease arrived in Italy. Pacini started performing autopsies on the bodies of victims intransigent...
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)