Antibiotics are drugs that fight bacterial infections by killing the bacteria themselves or preventing their proliferation.
There is no single antibiotic able to defeat all bacteria; There are more than 15 categories of antibiotics, different in chemical structure and bactericidal action.
The action of antibiotics is therefore very important to continue to be effective, however, it is necessary to use them in an appropriate manner. In fact, their misuse and excessive use in the long run can cause antibiotic resistance.
What is antibiotic resistance?
A bacterium is defined as “antibiotic-resistant” when it is able to resist the attack of specific antibiotics which should combat it. Some bacteria are normally resistant to certain antibiotics (intrinsic resistance); in other cases a resistance occurs as a result of genetic modifications, which make resistant bacteria that were sensitive to the action of antibiotics (acquired resistance). This type of resistance is a natural phenomenon.
We emphasize that excessive use or misuse of antibiotic drugs may contribute significantly to the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria which continue to multiply. The resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is a major worldwide health problem.
Treating infections due to resistant bacteria is indeed very difficult, because we need to again find antibiotics which are effective. A problem that can delay the identification of the most appropriate therapy and cause complications in the patient’s health.
Proper use of antibiotics
Antibiotic therapy should be prescribed by your doctor and it is good for the patient to adhere scrupulously to the times and doses of administration. Following these guidelines allows drugs to effectively fight the bacteria.
Some people think that the flu should be treated with antibiotics. In fact, in most cases the flu is a viral infection. Antibiotics are not effective with viral infections and there is no need to use them.
