APEIR Publication

Answer

What is an antibiotic?

An antibiotic is a type of drug that kills or stops the growth of bacteria. Examples include penicillin and ciprofloxacin, and there are many others.

What does "susceptible" mean when it comes to antibiotics?

The term "susceptible" means that the antibiotic can kill the bacteria or stop its growth. For example, when we say that a type of bacteria is susceptible to the antibiotic penicillin, it means that penicillin kills or stops the growth of that bacteria. 

What is antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of an antibiotic—that is, the bacteria are not killed, and their growth is not stopped. Resistant bacteria survive exposure to the antibiotic and continue to multiply in the body, potentially causing more harm and spreading to other animals or people.

Why do antibiotics stop working?

Antibiotics are designed to kill or block the growth of bacteria, but not all bacteria are susceptible. Some are naturally immune. Resistance also arises spontaneously by chance mutations. Resilient strains can then multiply and thrive - overnight, one bacterium can multiply to become a million.  When the antibiotic of choice is given it kills the sensitive bacteria but any resistant ones live on. Resistance can also be passed from one species of bacteria to another.

Is overuse of antibiotics to blame?

Certainly, the more an antibiotic is used, the greater the chance there will be that bacteria will develop resistance to it. Experts are concerned that antibiotics are being used inappropriately.  Many are prescribed and used for mild infections when they don't need to be. Antibiotics cannot help you recover from infections caused by viruses, such as common colds or flu, for example. Another issue is people who fail to take the whole course of prescribed antibiotic. Stopping treatment early means that the under-treated bacteria could turn resistant. It is thought that the widespread use of antibiotics in animals has led to resistant strains of some bacteria being transmitted to humans through food.

Is it getting worse?

Experts are concerned that we are reaching a point when some previously manageable infections will become untreatable with antibiotics.  The superbug MRSA is now resistant to so many drugs that it is already hard to treat. Similarly, we are seeing cases of multi-drug resistant TB and the emergence of threatening new resistant bacteria like New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1).

Resistant bacteria are spread through direct contact with a person or animal with that infection in the same way that other bacteria spread. Resistance is a particular problem in hospitals and places like old people's homes where many vulnerable people are gathered together. Increased international travel means people infected with resistant bacteria in one country can spread them to another country very quickly.

Why don't we have enough new antibiotics?

Pharmaceutical companies are placing renewed emphasis on the search for new antibiotics and are also developing new vaccines to prevent common infections. But these ventures are expensive to fund and in terms of cost-effectiveness for the company, may be less attractive than other business opportunities. If major resistance does occur, the drug would be a write-off for the pharmaceutical company that developed it. Many of the "newer" antibiotics are chemical variants of older agents and this means resistance development can occur quickly.

Source:http://www.bbc.com/news/health-21739378 and http://www.cdc.gov/narms/faq.html