Antibiotic resistant bacteria are bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotics that at one time were able to kill them. It is a growing issue in today’s society especially since it is unknown how these microbes are able to mutate around a treatment that was once lethal to them. The consensus in the healthcare community is that these microbes will be an increasing threat until a solution is found. There is still discussion and controversy over the best method of identification and infection control that should be put into practice to prevent the spread of multidrug resistant bacteria. However, the most prevalent controversy surrounding this topic seems to be over how the taxpayer’s money is best spent related to new treatment of these microbes,
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Antibiotics are medications that help to treat people who have developed a bacterial infection. These medications have been prescribed by physicians for the past 70 years for various types of illnesses. However, if a person has a viral infection (for example the common cold or the flu), antibiotics will not just be ineffective but can even make a person sicker. Even still, physicians are prescribing antibiotics to demanding patients, which along with other conditions has contributed to what the media is now calling “the War on Superbugs.” These “superbugs” are really just bacteria that have learned to evolve around antibiotics, thus rendering the drugs useless. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria have the potential to transform a simple urinary tract infection (UTI) into a deadly infection. So many people today in society do not understand the severity of the crisis. Overtime, bacteria are going to continue to evolve and learn how to survive in an environment that may not be the most conducive for them. Even though this is such a huge and growing topic, there is not a whole lot of research being done in this particular field. The majority of pharmaceutical companies are focusing their time on the creation of other medications and leaning away from research on antibiotic resistant bacteria. In …show more content…
2) What types of infection control interventions should hospitals be using in order to reduce antibiotic exposure?
3) Should resources and time be devoted to new antibiotics?
The literature review following concentrates on answering the three questions stated
Antibiotics are medications that help to treat people who have developed a bacterial infection. These medications have been prescribed by physicians for the past 70 years for various types of illnesses. However, if a person has a viral infection (for example the common cold or the flu), antibiotics will not just be ineffective but can even make a person sicker. Even still, physicians are prescribing antibiotics to demanding patients, which along with other conditions has contributed to what the media is now calling “the War on Superbugs.” These “superbugs” are really just bacteria that have learned to evolve around antibiotics, thus rendering the drugs useless. These antibiotic-resistant bacteria have the potential to transform a simple urinary tract infection (UTI) into a deadly infection. So many people today in society do not understand the severity of the crisis. Overtime, bacteria are going to continue to evolve and learn how to survive in an environment that may not be the most conducive for them. Even though this is such a huge and growing topic, there is not a whole lot of research being done in this particular field. The majority of pharmaceutical companies are focusing their time on the creation of other medications and leaning away from research on antibiotic resistant bacteria. In …show more content…
2) What types of infection control interventions should hospitals be using in order to reduce antibiotic exposure?
3) Should resources and time be devoted to new antibiotics?
The literature review following concentrates on answering the three questions stated