Antibiotic use and abuse:

Question 1

Antibiotic use and abuse:

Answer 1

Antibiotics prevent growth of bacteria or fungi. They are widely used to treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic use has stopped many people dying from wounds or surgery when they became infected. However, overuse/misuse of antibiotics has enabled microorganisms to develop resistance, many current antibiotics have limited effectiveness – superbugs are resistant to most known antibiotics are becoming more common.
- Mutation, advantage (only resistant bacteria survive when individual treated with antibiotics, lives longer and reproduces), allele passed on, natural selection.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is resistant to a range of antibiotics. Cause serious wound infections and can be difficult to treat.
Clostridium difficile infects digestive system, becomes problem after antibiotic treatment (antibiotics kill harmless bacteria in gut), so C. difficile can flourish, it produces toxins causing diarrhoea, fever and cramps.

Question 2

To overcome antibiotic resistance:

Answer 2

• New antibiotics need to be developed to overcome superbugs, as well as modifying existing ones.
• Doctors encouraged to reduce antibiotic use (not prescribe for minor infections or prevention –
  unless person has weakened immune system [elderly/HIV]).
• Patients advised to take all antibiotics prescribed to make sure infection is fully cleared and all
  bacteria have been killed – reduces likelihood antibiotic-resistant strains develop.