Summary: The Growing Problem Of Antibiotic Resistance

The growing problem of antibiotic resistance is becoming clear in India, where 58,000 babies have died from infections that could not be cured with antibiotics (Harris, 2014). Adults are susceptible to these antibiotic resistant illnesses as well, 45 year-old singer Uppalapu Shrinivas died after contracting an infection (Harris, 2014). However, babies are at a greater risk because their immune systems are not as strong as an adults (Harris, 2014). One of the infants that died due to a resistant infection was a premature newborn who fell ill and died just a week after she was born (Harris, 2014). After the infant’s death doctors discover that the infection she had contracted was resistant to nearly every antibiotic (Harris, 2014). Some doctors …show more content…
Another thing that can affect the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria is the use of human antibiotics in our food (Harris, 2014). The livestock are treated with the antibiotics and once again the bacteria that are resistant survive, multiply, and are sometimes passed on to humans (About Antimicrobial, 2015). If the meat from the livestock is not cooked well enough or long enough the bacteria then transfers to the person that eats it (About Antimicrobial, 2015). The resistant bacteria can also be transferred to people through fruits and vegetables if they are fertilized with manure made with feces from an animal that carries resistant bacteria (About Antimicrobial, 2015). The United States is making efforts to curb the use of human antibiotics in livestock. Tyson and Purdue recently announced that they will be stopping the use of human antibiotics in their chicken and McDonalds has said they will no longer be using chicken that has been treated with human antibiotics (Strom, 2015). However, in India the use of human antibiotics in livestock is growing, adding to the growing amount of resistant bacteria (Harris,