The Importance Of Antibiotic Resistance

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,

Throughout my life, adults have insisted the use of antibiotics to fight against the most inconsequential illnesses, whether it’s the cold or the flu. However, neither illness is due to invasion of bacteria. This misuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, also known as antimicrobial resistance(AMR), currently one of the central issues facing the public health system. While the process for antibiotic resistance occurs naturally through the process of adaptation, the mismanagement of antibiotic resources has accelerated the rate at which the bacteria adapt. The occurrence of this misinformation isn’t limited to a few adults: even some of my peers suggest taking antibiotics when faced with the flu. This leads to asking whether AMR is truly a problem and are present regulations enough to combat the issue.

Anti-infection agents have spared countless furthermore added to the expansion in future. They are essentially delivered by the fermentation of fungi (e.g., Penicillium) and bacteria (e.g., Actinomycetes). Specifically, 80% of anti-infection agents are sourced from the family Streptomyces and uncommon actinomycetes, for example, Actinomadura, and just the 20% is created by fungal species (Lo Grasso,

Antibiotic resistance is when microorganisms, such as bacteria, are able to survive an exposure to antibiotics and these bacteria are now resistant to the effects of these antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has been an issue since antibiotics were discovered. The fact that bacteria can become resistant to our medical treatments such as antibiotics is a natural evolutionary process, but there are certain human contributions that definitely speed up the process. For example, one of the main contributions that will be discussed is the problem of over prescription of the antibiotic drugs. The

Chemical methods of control: Antimicrobial drugs, involves the use of chemicals to prevent and treat infectious diseases. Pasteur and others observed that infecting an animal with Pseudomonas aeruginosa protected the animal against Bacillus anthracis. Later, the word “antibiosis” (against life) for this inhibition and called the inhibiting substance “Antibiotic”. As researchers found out more and more about these chemicals they were able to discover that antibiotics are chemicals or natural substances such as bacteria, fungi, as well as synthetic drugs; that inhibit or kill microbes in small amounts. Chemotherapeutic agents are antimicrobial chemicals (natural or synthetic) that can be used internally or may be absorbed.

A current predicament in the field of science is antibiotic resistance against superbugs.Though fighting against superbugs; which can be defined as a strain of bacteria unable to be killed using multiple antibiotics, is now a large problem, in the past it was not. The evolution of resistance in bacteria due to antibiotic abuse and lack of product development has brought upon us once again the fear of a pre-antibiotic era; one where simple, once easily defeated infections could kill. Already, infectious diseases are the 3rd leading cause of death in the US and the 2nd across the entire world, and drug resistant superbugs send 2 million Americans to hospitals every year; killing 23,000 of those people. And any bacterium can quickly and easily become multidrug resistant, the leading cause of this being antibiotic misuse in both humans and animals.( "Clinical Infectious Diseases." The Epidemic of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections: A Call to Action for the Medical Community from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. UCLA Medical School. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.)

Antibiotics are medicines that are used to treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance means that an antibiotic is no longer effective in treating an infection. Resistance can develop if you use antibiotics the wrong way.

Antibiotic resistance is, in simplest terms, just natural selection – but at a hugely exacerbated rate. We can see the effects of natural selection in ourselves; that’s why we don’t have webbed fingers, because they didn’t exactly benefit the terrestrial human race. But while it takes human beings 20-30 years to reproduce, it takes most bacteria 20-30 minutes. Think about that for a second. By reproducing every 20 minutes, a single E. Coli bacterium can create 70 billion new bacteria in just 12 hours. About 2% of those bacteria will have some type of mutation, and

These mutations, no matter what process that has led to their occurrence, block the action of antibiotics by interfering with their mechanism of action (1). Currently, antibiotics attack bacteria through one of two mechanisms. In both mechanisms the antibiotic enters the microbe and interferes with production of the components needed to form new bacterial cells. Some antibiotics act on the cell membrane, causing increased permeability and leakage of cell contents. Other antibiotics interfere with protein synthesis in cells. They block one or more of the steps involved in the transformation of nucleic acids into proteins.

Studies show that twenty-three thousand out of two million with infection dies because antibiotic resistance(Center for Disease Control). What exactly is antibiotic resistance and how did bacterias become resistant

Resistance is easily spread, either ‘horizontally’, through gene exchange within bacteria, or ‘vertically’, through sequential mutation and formation of antibiotic resistance through new generations. (State Government of Victoria 2015) A massive 80-90% of antibiotics ingested are excreted as waste because they are not broken down inside the body. They then enter the environment, allowing gene transfer to occur and facilitating resistance in more bacteria. Therefore, as resistance is spread so easily, the risks become even higher. Additionally, if antibiotics continue to be used so abundantly, the majority will be made resistant due to the widespread use. Moreover, as the current degree of antibiotic use continues, then society’s ability to treat common infectious diseases sharply increase. Those infected with superbugs are unable to respond to standard medicine, thus are ill for a longer period of time, accumulate higher health care costs, and have a greater risk of mortality. According to the World Health Organisation, people with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a common infection in hospitals, are 64% more likely to die in comparison with people with the non-resistant form of Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, as individuals are

Today, some of the most commonly used and most important antibiotics in modern medicine are derived from a form of chemical synthesis having to do with constructing polyketide chains. Much like fatty acid synthesis, in this mechanism, polyketides are one-by-one added to the end of the polyketide chain by[modular enzymes in an assembly-line fashion. These polyketides are the intermediates of metabolism, metabolites, in fungi, bacteria, plants, and animals. To put the importance of polyketide chain assembly, some of the most important and commonly used antibiotics in modern medicine, such as Avermectin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin, are synthesized through polyketide chain assembly.

Intro :Chemical antibacterial agents are compounds that are capable of either slowing the growth of bacteria or killing them in order for a drug to be called antibiotic it must be able to be synthesized by a microorganism like a bacteria or fungus or derived from the chemical synthesized by the bacteria/fungi as well as hold the quality’s to kill or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms.

Dr. H. Scott Hurd author of, “The Other Side of Antimicrobial Resistance” is writing to contradict thought that antibiotic-resistance is becoming a complete global threat. (2012) the article gives several counter claims that lead you in a different mindset than simply healthcare precautions. The author talks about foodborne illness being linked to antibiotics resistance in modern medicine, also about the important knowledge that can be taken away from antibiotics when researching HIV/AIDS, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), and hospital-acquired infections through research and development. The author is showing the readers that there is another side, such as, not needing to be concerned about resistance to any antibiotics because scientist and others have an understanding of certain guidelines when it comes to the patients’ health. Therefore, each excuse people are giving to support the claim antibiotic-resistance is a threat to people. He states in his writing, “As soon as an antibiotic is first used, resistance begins to develop.” He is wanting to imply in his message that even though over-prescribing is a big factor, even as simple as the first time an antibiotic is prescribed it is having effects on the patient. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, in “Antibiotics: Misuse puts you and others at risk” infers the overuse or misuse of antibacterial drugs can make resistance develop even faster, causing an epidemic before scientist can find a solution.

According the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s greatest health threats to date (Haddox, 2013). In the article, The Health Threat of Antibiotic Resistance, Gail Haddox (2013) discusses the danger antibiotic resistance poses in today’s society and strategies to prevent the expansion of antibiotic resistance. In Europe alone, an estimated 25,000 deaths have been attributed to multi-resistant infections (Haddox, 2013). Common infections are now harder to treat due to the increased resistance to antibiotics across the world, in fact some are becoming untreatable. Antibiotics should be treated like oil, a non-renewable resource (Haddox, 2013).