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Antibiotics: what are they and how do they work?
#15
In response to the poster who asked why antibiotics are prescribed for viral infections, the answer has to do with preventing a bacterial infection. Some viral infections, such as flu, can make the host highly susceptible to certain bacterial infections like pneumonia. In fact, during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, many if the victims died from secondary bacterial pneumonia, not from the influenza virus. The symptoms caused by the flu virus provide a good environment for the bacteria to multiply rapidly, and can also weaken the hosts’ immune system, thus allowing for increased bacterial growth. When a patient has certain types of viral infections, antibiotics can help prevent these very serious bacterial infections.

Antibiotics are also used as a preventative medicine in patients with other types of diseases. For example, some antibiotics may be used in cancer patients. Cancer itself does not necessarily shut off the immune system, as the original poster stated. Rather, the treatments used for cancer, chemotherapy and radiation, target rapidly multiplying cells, including those involved in fighting infections. These therapies leave the patient more susceptible to infection.

As with all medications, it is important to use antibiotics only as prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner. Overuse and improper use of antibiotics can cause many problems, including the development of resistant populations. Because antibiotics have been used improperly, many drug-resistant strains are developing. For example, tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death to infectious disease world-wide. Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium M. tuberculosis. This bacterium is very difficult to treat, and requires extremely long treatment with antibiotics, often months or more. In areas where it is difficult to get treatments, patients only take the antibiotics for a short time. The bacteria are not all killed off, and the surviving bacteria can develop resistance to the antibiotic. As they multiply, they become the predominant strain of bacteria in the host. These resistant bacteria can then go on to infect other people. Now, there are even strains of M. tuberculsosi that are resistant to all available antibiotics. Properly using antibiotics in patients with susceptible strains is necessary to help minimize the spread of this very dangerous pathogen.
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RE: Antibiotics: what are they and how do they work? - by bridgettpayseur - 08-08-2013, 12:18 PM
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Antibiotics: what are they and how do they work?00