Questions about Antibiotic Resistance
Q: What is antibiotic resistance?
A: Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.
When bacteria become resistant, antibiotics cannot fight them, and the bacteria multiply.
Q: Why should I care about antibiotic resistance?
A: Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can cause illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to become untreatable, leading to dangerous infections. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are often more difficult to kill and more expensive to treat. In some cases, the antibiotic-resistant infections can lead to serious disability or even death.
Q: Why are bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics?
A: Overuse and misuse of antibiotics allows the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Every time a person takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria (bacteria that antibiotics can still attack) are killed, but resistant bacteria are left to grow and multiply. This is how repeated use of antibiotics can increase the number of drug-resistant bacteria.
Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections like the common cold, flu, most sore throats, bronchitis, and many sinus and ear infections. Widespread use of antibiotics for these illnesses is an example of how overuse of antibiotics can promote the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is key to controlling the spread of resistance.
Q: How do bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?
A: Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics through several ways. Some bacteria can “neutralize” an antibiotic by changing it in a way that makes it harmless. Others have learned how to pump an antibiotic back outside of the bacteria before it can do any harm. Some bacteria can change their outer structure so the antibiotic has no way to attach to the bacteria it is designed to kill.
After being exposed to antibiotics, sometimes one of the bacteria can survive because it found a way to resist the antibiotic. If even one bacterium becomes resistant to antibiotics, it can then multiply and replace all the bacteria that were killed off. That means that exposure to antibiotics provides selective pressure making the surviving bacteria more likely to be resistant. Bacteria can also become resistant through mutation of their genetic material.
Q: How should I use antibiotics to protect myself and my community from antibiotic resistance?
A: Here is what you can do to help prevent antibiotic resistance:
See helpful tips on how to safely throw away unused medications
• Tell your healthcare professional you are concerned about antibiotic resistance.
• Ask your healthcare professional if there are steps you can take to feel better and get symptomatic relief without using antibiotics.
• Take the prescribed antibiotic exactly as your healthcare professional tells you.
• Safely throw away leftover medication.
• Ask your healthcare professional about vaccines recommended for you and your family to prevent infections that may require an antibiotic.
• Never skip doses.
• Never take an antibiotic for a viral infection like a cold or the flu.
• Never pressure your healthcare professional to prescribe an antibiotic.
• Never save antibiotics for the next time you get sick.
• Never take antibiotics prescribed for someone else.
Q: How can healthcare professionals help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance?
A: Healthcare professional can prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance by:
• Prescribing an antibiotic only when it is likely to benefit the patient.
• Prescribing an antibiotic that targets the bacteria that is most likely causing their patient’s illness when an antibiotic is likely to provide benefit.
• Encouraging patients to use the antibiotic as instructed.
Collaborating with each other, office staff, and patients to promote appropriate antibiotic use.