Antibiotic

From ArticleWorld

Antibiotics are antimicrobial drugs, used to kill potentially harmful bacteria or to slow down their development. Today, the term refers both to synthetic antimicrobials like the sulfonamides but also to those antibiotics obtained from living organism, in contrast with the original definition given by Selman Waksman. The boost in antibiotic research was given by the discovery of Penicillin, by Alexander Fleming, in 1928. Plants that contained antibiotics have been used ever since the antiquity, but the active components wasn't synthesized or otherwise obtained.

Antibiotics became commonly accepted because they only target the infectious agents, without damaging the host. However, they are ineffective against fungi or viruses.

From a chemical point of view, antibiotics are small molecules, with a molecular weight of less than 2,000. Although they are commonly considered to be enzymes, they are not.

Indications

Antibiotics should be used to treat bacterial infections. Some antibiotics target a wide range of bacteria, others target a more narrow range, and the assessment over what antibiotic should be used is commonly performed before prescribing them. In more urgent cases, a wide-range antibiotic may be prescribed, and the treatment may be further restricted to a more narrow range of bacteria after a complete set of tests.

Misuse

The most common misuse of antibiotics is to prescribe them in cases when they are not effective, like common colds or viral infections. Antibiotics should always be taken as prescribed, even if the visible symptoms disappear before the treatment is completed.

In some countries, small doses of antibiotics are included in the daily food of farm animals, as animals seem to grow better this way. However, many specialists consider this is a wrong practice, as some bacteria may develop resistance to antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a common phenomenon that results as the organisms develop various ways of resisting antibiotic treatment. If a very small number of individuals survive after an antibiotic treatment and are able to multiply, the new generation will not be affected by the antibiotics to the same degree as the old one. This is a serious issue, as even more common and dangerous pathogens develop resistance to antibiotics. Specialists fear that, eventually, some strains will become completely immune to antibiotics. A common example is that of the Staphylococcus aureus, which could be easily treated with penicillin in the 1950s, but it is now resistant to many antibiotics making it more difficult to treat.