Table of contents:
- Recognizing bacterial resistance
- Causes of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
- DNA mutation
- Improper use of antibiotics
- How does bacterial resistance occur?
- How to avoid bacterial resistance
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that are found all over the inside and outside of the body. Not all bacteria are harmful, some even really help, including the good bacteria that live in the intestines. While bad bacteria are also widely spread, and some cause disease. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, which sometimes can cause bacterial resistance. What is bacterial resistance? What caused it?
Recognizing bacterial resistance
Bacterial infections are usually treated with antibiotics. However, bacteria can gradually adapt to drugs and become increasingly difficult to kill. This is known as bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
Some bacteria naturally fight certain types of antibiotics. Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics if the bacterial genes change or the bacteria acquire drug-resistant genes from other bacteria.
The longer and more often the antibiotics are used, the risk is that they will be less effective against bacteria.
Causes of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
DNA mutation
Bacteria are susceptible to mutations, aka DNA changes. This is part of the natural evolution of bacteria and allows the bacteria to continue to adapt their genetic make-up.
When a bacterium naturally becomes resistant to antibiotics, the bacteria will survive, when other strains are killed. The bacteria that survive are likely to spread and become dominant, causing infection.
In addition, bacteria are mobile microbes, which cause the bacteria to come into contact with other microbes and pass mutated genes to other bacteria.
Improper use of antibiotics
Overuse and misuse of antibiotics allow bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Every time you take antibiotics, sensitive bacteria (bacteria that antibiotics can fight against) will be killed. However, bacteria that are resistant will continue to grow and reproduce.
Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections such as colds, sore throats, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections. So when you take antibiotics even though you are not having a bacterial infection, the chances of resistance increase. That is why the correct use of antibiotics is key to controlling the spread of resistance.
How does bacterial resistance occur?
Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics in several ways. Some bacteria can neutralize antibiotics. Other bacteria can change the outer structure of the bacteria so that antibiotics cannot attach to the bacteria to kill them.
After being exposed to antibiotics, sometimes one of the bacteria can survive because it finds a way to fight the antibiotic. If one bacterium becomes resistant to antibiotics, the bacteria can multiply and replace all the bacteria that were killed.
How to avoid bacterial resistance
The main way to avoid the emergence of resistant bacteria is to take antibiotics according to the rules. Here are some ways you can do it.
- Take antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor.
- You should not skip doses of antibiotics.
- Take antibiotics to treat diseases caused by bacterial infections, not fungal or viral infections.
- Do not save antibiotics to drink if you get sick later on.
- Do not take antibiotics that are prescribed for others.
