Why Antibiotics Should Be Limited

Prior to 1928, the year in which penicillin was first discovered, small open sores on the skin can be fatal. If antibiotics are never found, perform the operation as is commonly practiced in modern medicine can not be done.

Antibiotics are the medical field discovery invaluable to fight infection. On the other hand, this wonder drug is also responsible for the ability to manipulate the natural bacteria in the body.

Irrational use of antibiotics should be stopped. There are at least three reasons why the use of antibiotics should be started is limited.

• Changing the ability to fight infection

Natural human microbiota, or group of microorganisms that live in our bodies, help stabilize the immune system. The bacteria block the pathogenic microbes and give a signal to the immune system to fight infection.

Consumption of antibiotics can reduce the population of these beneficial bacteria. The decline in the number of natural human microbiota can begin in infancy when doctors prescribe antibiotics.

Decreasing the amount of good bacteria in the critical period of development of the immune system causing downside risks. For example, infants at risk of developing allergies and weight disorders.

• Trigger antibiotic resistance

Super bacteria or bacteria that are not working anymore on antibiotics, is a major health problem. If not addressed, within a period of 25 years will find a lot of deaths from diseases that could be treated.

Antibiotic resistance is caused by the antibiotic itself. Genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics can be found naturally in all types of bacterial communities.

In fact, antibiotics kill bacteria population without the gene, so that tetal drug-resistant bacteria survive and multiply, and then transfer them resistant genes in other bacterial groups.

• Antibiotics are not the only way to fight infection

The new strategy being developed scientists to replace or complement antibiotic therapy. One of them is selectively target a particular pathogen without making the good bacteria killed.

Another alternative is a method for increasing the immune cells to produce antimicrobial factors. There is also a potential gene editing can eliminate antibiotic resistance genes from bacteria super.


Source: Health.Kompas.com