FACT #3 : BACTERIA CAN LEARN TO FIGHT BACK

In certain cases, when bacteria are exposed to antibiotics for long, they can develop the ability to resist, so antibiotics can no longer kill them.

Bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics in different ways, for example by changing their structure so that it can no longer be attacked by antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance is a threat:

For your health: the infection caused by an antibiotic-resistant bacteria can’t be treated, lasts longer and can lead to more severe illness. In some extreme cases, some resistant infections can even cause death.

For your pocket: treatment requires more doctor visits or longer hospital stays, and involves more expensive and toxic medications.

For general healthcare: existing antibiotics become ineffective and new drugs have to be researched. Unfortunately, no new classes of antibiotics have been developed since the 80s, because infectious diseases have become treatable via antibiotics and there has been no need for new drugs. Antibiotic-resistance is appearing recently due to the increase in self-medication; because new drug development is a process that takes years, it may not be until another 10 years when we will have new antibiotics to fight resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic resistance is the reason why it is important to take antibiotics only when and as prescribed by a doctor. Not all infections are treatable by antibiotics, and not any antibiotic works with any infection. Also, in most cases where the bacterial infection is mild, it will heal on its own without any need for antibiotics.

Did you know…?

Among those bacteria that have become more and more resistant to antibiotics are pneumococci, which are the cause, for example, of pneumonia, sinus infections and meningitis.

Interesting fact

Green tea reduces the risk of antibiotic resistance. Drinking green tea as you go through your antibiotics treatment helps enhancing the antibiotics’ power of fighting bacteria, making treatment a bit more effective. Green tea is a natural anti-bacterial substance that helps fight the growth of certain bacteria, for example staphylococci and salmonella (respectively responsible for infections like sinusitis and salmonellosis).