It’s your first day of work tomorrow. Your throat starts feeling a little scratchy, but you can’t be sick for your first day! You go into your medicine cabinet and starting taking everything that says it will take care of a sore throat. But wait! This is not what you should do, and this is what is leading to bacteria becoming antibiotic resistant.
The purpose of antibodies is to attack bacteria that is dangerous to the human body. Antibodies are able to keep human cells safe and target bacterial cells by targeting things that only bacterial cells contain, like cell walls (GSLC 2014). This obviously can be very helpful as it cures bacterial infections like strep throat, urinary tract infections and ear infections. (Healthwise) However, the problem with using antibiotics is that each time antibiotics enter the body, bacteria that is resistant will survive and recreate making the bacteria in the body more tolerant to effects of antibiotics.
Visual representation of how bacteria transforms to become more antibiotic resistant.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provides quality information on when you should use antibiotics on their website. Overall, you should only take antibiotics as prescribed. Do not try to stop taking your prescription early and save your medication for the next time you get sick. The goal for this blog is to try to bring awareness to the public, that you can’t take medications however, and whenever, you want. Eventually, this can lead to diseases that were once easy to cure, becoming more difficult to cure. Thus, forcing scientists to get back to work to figure out how to kill off this new stronger bacteria. So please, be more aware when taking antibiotics and listen to the medical professionals when they give you directions for how to take your antibiotics.
References:
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (US). 2015. Antibiotic resistance questions and answers. [Internet] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); [cited 2016 Sep 18]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/community/about/antibiotic-resistance-faqs.html
Using Antibiotics Wisely. [Internet]. Healthwise Incorporated; 2013 [cited 2016 Sep 18] Available from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/using_antibiotics_wisely-health/article_em.htm
What is an Antibiotic? [Internet]. Salt Lake City (UT): GSLC (Genetic Science Learning Center); 2014 [cited 2016 Sep 16] Available from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/microbiome/antibiotics/
I really love the way you approached writing about this topic, by beginning with an every day situation and showing just how bad things could get if we aren’t careful about antibiotic resistance. The included graphic also really helps to visualize the developing problem of antibiotic resistance. This is super important and I wish more people understood the severity of it!
I love the topic. I have heard of some issues arising from antibiotic and other medicine use, so it’ll be interesting to learn more from your posts! Good explanations that keep things from getting to complicated – great, given that our blogs will be accessible by the general public.
It is really nice to read short anecdote and transition well to the main topic. I like your choice of visual since it showed step by step of how antibiotic resistance happen.