Antibiotics have evolved in the way they are used to treat different infections. There has been a constant need to modify antibiotics as pathogens continue to become more complex and antibiotic resistant. For instance, penicillin was discovered by Fleming in 1929 from the bread mold penicillium. By 1940s, it was being used for therapeutic purposes especially among soldiers in World War II. Later penicillin became used to treat multiple infections. However, by 1967, there started to emerge penicillin-resistant bacteria such as streptococcus pneumonia. These meant the need to modify penicillin or process new antibiotics that would treat the resistant bacteria. Since then antibiotics have continued to be made from fungi and bacteria to treat diverse infections in humans and animals (Criswell, 2004)
In many ways, the discovery of antimicrobials has revolutionized medicine and rescued many lives by helping fight a wide range of infections. Through time, antimicrobials have continued to evolve so as to meet the challenges brought about by the emergence of more resistance infection-causing pathogens. Developments in the production of antimicrobials have to lead to the availability of cheaper drugs that has led to increasing in nonprescription and off-label use. The increase in the variety of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics is a consequence of the underuse, overuse, and misuse of antibiotics evident among humans recently. With bacteria rapidly becoming resistant to antibiotics due to the alleviated non-prescribed use of antibiotics the use of antibiotics has had to regulate by advocating for the accurate prescription use of antibiotics. This is currently the most viable way for antibiotic use to fight resistance. However other strategies to help control resistance are underway such as the development of compounds that interfere with the efflux of active inhibitors by pumping out antibiotics before resistance develops are underway which will see therapeutic use evolve. Otherwise, the intensity of challenges of resistance in antibiotic use can push medicine to the pre-antibiotic time (Davies & Davies, 2010).
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Overuse, underuse, and misuse of antibiotics are the main ways by which microbial infections are wrongly treated. This is eminent has antibiotics are cheaply and readily available in the market encouraging usage without prescription. This has adverse effects on the users. A major consequence of treating a microbial infection wrongly is having the infection causing microbe develop resistant for the antibiotic. This results to the antibiotic being incapable of treating the infection in future. The antibiotic loses its power to affect the infection causing microbe hence it cannot treat the infection (mayo clinic staff, 2014).
Another consequence of wrongly treating microbial infections is the delay of correct treatment and multiplication of bacteria. Bacteria are self-reproducing microorganisms hence rapidly multiply in the body if untreated on time. Another way in which microbial infections are wrongly treated is by using the wrong antibiotic. This is a widespread behavior has patients self-medicate often when it comes to infections. This, in turn, delays the rightful treatment causing the infection to increase as infection causing bacteria continue to multiply (Paddock, 2011).
As a recommendation, one of the prevention methods that utilize antibiotics is the preventive antibiotic therapy in the cases of acute stroke. Though found to only reduce the risk of infection in acute stroke patients, preventive antibiotic therapy does help prevent the risk of infection (Westend et al., 2012). Another method for prevention that uses antibiotics is the oral administration of antibiotics to prevent infections such as urinary tract infection. In these cases, the antibiotics help prevent the infection by killing the infection causing microbes or preventing them from developing. Finally, the other prevention method would be the prevention of proper bacteria cell wall formation. Antibiotics such as penicillin classified according to their mode of action help prevent proper cell wall formation of bacteria during cell division weakening the function of the bacteria in the body and allowing the effect of the antibiotic on it (NHS, 2013).
References
Criswell, D. (2004). The "Evolution" of Antibiotic Resistance. Acts & Facts. 33 (12). Retrieved on 12 May 2012 from http://www.icr.org/article/evolution-antibiotic-resistance/.
Davies, J. and Davies D. (2010). Origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance . National Center of Biotechnological Information. Retrieved on 12 May 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2937522/.
Mayo clinic staff. (2014). Antibiotics: Misuse puts you and others at risk. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research . Retrieved on 12 May 2017 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/antibiotics/art-20045720.
NHS. (2013). Taking antibiotic as prevention. Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. Retrieved on 12 May 2013 from http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/medical-information-0/medicines-information/taking-antibiotics-prevention.
Paddock, C. (2011). Taking Antibiotics For Viral Infections Can Do More Harm Than Good, CDC . Healthline Media . Retrieved on 12 May 2017 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237975.php.
Westend, F. W. et al. (2012). Preventive antibiotic in acute stroke. American Heart Association, Inc . Retrieved on 12 May 2017 from http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/43/11/e113.
