Have a cough? We take antibiotics. Have flu; we take antibiotics. Antibiotics are the by-default medication that most of us pop without even thinking twice. Read to what studies have to say about antibiotic resistance and its impact.
The overuse of antibiotics eliminates the drug sensitive microbes, leaving the behind to reproduce as a result of natural selection, thereby causing antibiotic resistance [1]. So the bacteria that survives ends up growing more deadly and more pathogenic than the rest.
The easy availability of antibiotics over the counter (without a prescription) and the unregulated use of it, is the major reason that promoted overuse of antibiotics, increasing the risk of antibiotic resistance [1]. So do think for a minute before you start heading for a chemist shop to get a dose of antibiotics.
Did you know incorrectly prescribed antibiotics also contribute to antibiotic resistance? According to a study[2], the treatment with antibiotics, choice of the drugs and the duration of the therapy is incorrect in 30% to 50% of cases, which could the cause of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics are widely used as a growth supplement in livestock. When you consume livestock as food, there is a chance that the resistant bacteria might be transferred to humans. This is substantiated by a study [3] that found high rates of antibiotic resistance in the intestinal flora of both farm animals and farmers.
If you have antibiotic resistance, then it goes without saying that you need stronger medications as the common ones stop working [1]. And this could mean, the infections might last longer, more severe illness, longer hospital stay and expensive medications to deal with the condition.
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