I am reading a book called “The Antibiotic Paradox” by Stuart B. Levy about the history and development of antibiotics and it is immensely interesting. The discovery of antibiotics as most would agree has revolutionalized the way we perceive germs. Since Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin, humans have created many new drugs as well as the many modifications to penicillin due to increasing resistance. There are many mechanisms as to how the different types of antibiotic works. They are used to disrupt DNA replication by targeting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, facilitate the inhibition of protein synthesis through the binding of the ribosomes, destroy cell wall integrity by inhibiting peptidoglycan cross-linking, disrupt cell envelope to prevent the infectious germs from taking in nutrients and expel toxins. If you don’t happen to like biology you don’t have to think too much about all the processes I’ve described above. Just know that the drugs target things on the bacterial cell that are not found in human cells.
If bacteria could not alter their DNA through the transmission of resistant genes in plasmids from one organism to another then there wouldn’t be a desperate need to create new antibiotics. As more people abuse the use of antibiotics the problem of resistance is becoming more serious. Right now the strongest antibiotic we have is vancomycin and yet some strains of bacteria have already become resistant to it. This summer when I was visiting my grandmother in Vietnam, I became sick and had a sore throat. My aunt asked me if I wanted some antibiotics and if so she would stop by the store to get them. There is something seriously wrong with this picture. She could get antibiotics for me without me having to go to the doctor! In third world countries antibiotics are sold freely without prescription or any regulation. This is what’s so frighten to me. Of course I tried to explain how serious problems could arise as a result of misusing these drugs but I don’t think they really listened. Do you know of anyone (friends or family members) that take antibiotics for everything even for a viral infection? If so, were you successful at convincing them that antibiotics are only used to treat bacteria and is useless for viral infections?
2 comments:
I had a similar conversation with my grandmother regarding how she takes her antibiotics. She often will take the antibiotics that have been prescribed to her just long enough to get to feeling better, opposed to taking the full amount. What she fails to understand is that just because you feel better does not mean the bacteria are out of your system. I explained to her that this is not a safe practice because all that does is kill off the weakest strains of the bacteria. Thereby, leaving behind the "super" bacteria. Once she stops taking the antibiotics and these super bacteria are left behind that gives them time to reproduce enormous colonies, and become much more difficult to inoculate. Whereas, if she took the full prescription that would kill off most of the bacteria and keep the super bacteria at a number small enough for the immune system to take care of on its own. So moral of the story, if you are prescribed antibiotics and choose to take them then it is best to finish the entire prescription within the allotted time frame.
When I went to India, I noticed something along the same lines, although the problem is related to the large amounts of corruption in India. I really did not try to say anything to my relatives because there is a large emphasis on respect for elders in India. Also, most of my relatives told me not to worry about their medicinal uses because they had the same practices long before I came to visit them and that I should not worry about these things when I am on vacation. This attitude relates to Bruce Willis' character where the norm is favored due to long track adn consistenty of not creating a harmful environment. However, precaution is necessary because there is still the small chance or the "what if" factor.
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