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Answer: Antibiotics are drugs used to fight infection cause by bacteria. These single-celled organisms are found everywhere including inside our bodies. Although a few types cause certain diseases, the majority of them are not harmful and some of them are beneficial.
1. Antibiotic resistance is a global medical phenomenon, in which bacteria change and become immune to currently used drugs.
There are several mechanisms through which antibiotic resistance is achieved. First of all bacteria are not only capable of fast reproduction, but they also mutate easily.
Thus, through random mutations and selective pressure from drugs, strains capable of "neutralizing" an antibiotic by changing it to a harmless form arise. Other bacteria are capable of pumping the antibiotic outside of their bodies before they are harmed. There are also some strains capable oc changing their outer structure in order to block antibiotics from attaching to themselves.
Besides mutation, bacteria are also capable of exchanging genetic material with each other. Thus, a susceptible bacteria may acquire "immunity genes" from another antibiotic resistant bacteria.
2. Antibiotic resistance has become a global problem and been called one of the world's most pressing public health issues. Thus, once easily treatable bacterial infections now pose dangerous health risks and may even be fatal.
Due to their fast reproduction rates, they can quickly spread from person to person, especially in densely populated areas such as cities.
Another problem is the increased treatment costs which will add an additional strain on the healthcare system. New and more expensive medicine are required, which may not be accessible in poorer countries.
3. Each time antibiotics are used, susceptible bacteria are killed. These microscopic organisms are capable of reproducing at extremely high rates. Thus, due to overuse of antibiotics, resistant bacteria become more common. Through removing their competition for resources, these new strains are actually inadvertently helped by the use of antibiotics. This is known as positive selective pressure for antibiotic resistance. It is enough for only one bacteria to survive.
Antibiotics are not only overused, but also used for wrong diseases. They are wrongly used for viral infections such as: flu, colds, some ear infections, most coughs and bronchitis etc.
