Antibiotic Resistance Essay, Research Paper
Horror movies graphically reveal the ravages of killer plagues and flesh-eating bacteria, but behind this Hollywood hype is a story of real immanent danger. Antibiotic resistant strains of staph and strep are putting the lives and health of people at risk. When first discovered, about 75 years ago, antibiotics were touted as a miracle cure, which they literally were. Infections that were fatal before the turn of the century were turned into mere inconveniences over the last 75 or so years.
But we ve come almost full circle, the misuse, over prescriptions, and abuse of antibiotics has allowed resistant strains of bacteria to develop and once again threaten health and life. Diseases that were virtually eliminated with the introduction of antibiotics are mutating, gaining strength, and resisting treatment. The global increase in resistance to antimicrobial drugs, including the emergence of bacterial strains that are resistant to all available antibacterial agents, has created a public health problem of potentially crisis proportions.
How does antibiotic resistance happen? Any time bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic, they are under selective pressure that allows only resistant forms to survive and reproduce. Under an antibiotic blitz, a tiny fraction of any population of otherwise-susceptible bacteria can survive, because they possess mutations- -acquired randomly or from other bacteria that slip them rings of DNA called plasmids- -that counter an antibiotic s effect (Ferber 792). So the basic rule in slowing the evolution of resistance is reducing the unnecessary use of antibiotics because once antibiotics that have lost their effectiveness won t become powerful weapons again (Morell 576).
Antibiotic use in the United States has soared since the 1950s, when the total American production of antibiotics was about two million pounds per year. Today the figures exceed 50 million pounds. More than 40 percent of that amount is used in agriculture. Antibiotics are
given to animals to treat infections and some are mixed into feed. The amounts consumed in feed are too little to eradicate infection, but are enough to select for resistant bacteria that could pass on to people who consume undercooked meat or raw eggs. Antibiotics mixed into aerosols sprayed on fruit trees get rid of some bacteria, but also contribute to the selection of resistant ones. Antibiotic residues left on unwashed fruits may attack the good bacteria in our intestinal tracts instead of selecting for more virulent strains. The remainder of the antibiotics produced becomes medications for human use. While necessary and often life saving, these drugs are being taken inappropriately.
Is an antibiotic necessary at all? There are many people who believe that when they get sick, antibiotics are the solution. The more times you uses a drug, the more it will decrease the effect it has on you. Viruses, not bacteria, cause colds and flu, thus antibiotic treatment is useless and breed resistance. Treatment for eye infections is another major cause of resistance. Doctors write out more outpatient antibiotic prescriptions for these infections often wrongly than for any other condition except sinusitis (Super-germ 60). In a review of 1,500 physicians with more than 28,000 patients encounters in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, over 50% of patients with the diagnosis of colds or upper-respiratory infections (conditions usually caused by viruses) were given antibiotics (Gonzales 903).
It is difficult in many cases to differentiate between the symptoms of viral and bacterial infections. Since in many cases the symptoms can be very similar, it might take several days to make an accurate diagnosis. Because of this difficulty patients request antibiotics immediately even though they might have a viral infection and not one of bacterial nature. About 12 million
antibiotic prescriptions were written for respiratory infections in 1992, even though the cause of more than 90 percent of such infections tends to be viral (Science 257).
The fault of antibiotic resistance is not with the developers but rather on the doctors and patients. Excessive and inappropriate antibiotic prescribing is believed to be an important factor in increasing bacterial resistance (Resistance Movement 12). An influence to the doctors prescribing inappropriate antibiotics is partly due to the patients persistency is demanding antibiotics. A survey showed last year that 25% of people were persistent in demanding antibiotics for colds and flu, which are viral and cannot be cured by antibiotics. This falls into the common misconception that people have when they walk into a doctor s office; they expect to walk out with antibiotics to cure their upper respiratory infection, earaches, sore throats, colds, and flu.
Pharmaceutical companies have taken to television and print advertising to promote their antibiotics direct to the consumers. The consumers see and hear about all the aspects and how well the antibiotics are supposed work. The advertising is so effective; it causes the viewer to demand certain types of antibiotics and in some cases by specific brands when they go to the doctor. This is a double edge sword; pharmaceutical companies are educating the consumers about illnesses and medication but at the same time the viewer cannot make the correct diagnoses. When they get to see the doctor, their mindset is only on the drug they have heard about and therefore request inappropriate medication for the treatment of their illness only because they have seen wonderful medical outcomes on television or in print.
For the past 20 years, pharmaceutical companies have distributed samples of medicine direct to physician offices. These include all types of antibiotic therapies as well as other types
of medications. The original method of distributing samples was to give physicians the ability to see the effectiveness of new medications. However, both the physician and the patient have misused the samples. Many physicians will give sample antibiotics to persistent patients who demand antibiotic therapies for aliments that may or may not be bacterial. This is another reason why antibiotics have such widespread use in cases that are not appropriate. The pharmaceutical industry must develop methods to monitor and govern their products so that misuse of antibiotics can be controlled.
Years ago physicians prescribed antibiotics for patients by selecting brands that they were most familiar with and outcomes that could be expected. With the new dynamics of consumer education by pharmaceutical companies physicians are now prescribing some brands of antibiotic therapy that they might not be totally familiar with. With these factors added together it is quite possible the patient is not being treated with the most effective treatment available. Our society and our methods of advertising are partially the cause the misuse of antibiotic therapy, which in turn we now know leads to antibiotic resistance.
Why do doctors prescribe antibiotics unnecessarily? Doctors feel pressure because they are afraid they ll lose their patients. Pediatricians say, Parents will think I m a lousy doctor because they took off time from work, they pulled their child out of day care, and I looked at the kid and said, Yup, he s got a cold. Bye. And patients feel like, Why did I spend all this time going to the doctor when I didn t get anything (Liebman 6). At a seminar I [Stuart B. Levy] conducted, more than 80 percent of physicians present admitted to having written antibiotic prescriptions on demand against their better judgment (5). This is widely part to the change in health care, unlike years ago when doctors could sit down and talk to the patients and explain
everything to them and still earn large quantities of money, doctors now must see large quantity of patients in order to see large amounts of money. Unrealistic patient expectations, coupled with insufficient time to discuss with patients why an antibiotic is not needed (Science 257). All of this subsequently leads to doctors inappropriately prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily because they just don t have the time to spend talking to there patients and explaining everything. As noted, increasing antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem, and is likely to continue into the future.
Obviously, if a bacterial pathogen is able to develop or acquire resistance to an antibiotic, then that substance becomes useless in the treatment of infectious disease caused by that pathogen. So as pathogens develop resistance, we must find new, different, antibiotics to fill the niche of the old ones in treatment regimes. Not only is there a problem in finding new antibiotics to fight old diseases because resistant strains of bacteria have emerged, there is a parallel problem to find new antibiotics to fight new diseases. This has driven the pharmaceutical industry to produce new agents and has contributed to dilemmas in treating outpatient respiratory infections (Singh 47).
It is said that the discovery and use of antibiotics and immunizations procedures against infectious diseases are two developments in the field of microbiology that have contributed about twenty years to the average life span of humans in developed countries where these practices are employed. While the greater part of this span in time is probable due to vaccination, most of us are either still alive or have family members who are still alive because an antibiotic conquered an infectious disease that otherwise would have killed the individual. If we want to retain this medical luxury in our society we must be vigilant and proactive: we must fully understand how
and why antimicrobial agents work and why they don t work and realize that we must maintain a stride ahead of microbial pathogens that can only be contained by antibiotic chemotherapy.
Другие работы по теме:
Holocaust Unit Summary Essay Research Paper Holocaust
Holocaust Unit Summary Essay, Research Paper Holocaust Unit SummaryI was mostly affected by this unit because it showed me that in the midst of allthe unkindness of the Nazi party, that there were still some people left who were kindenough to put their own lives on the line to save someone else’s. I didn’t understand,until the stories and the movies cleared it up, how the people could not figure out thatthere was something wrong when they were being pushed around by the Nazi soldiers.
Hallowen Essay Research Paper Anytime a film
Hallowen Essay, Research Paper Anytime a film is watched its viewers criticize it. Whether they are positive or negative comments depend on the writer’s opinion. Timothy Corrigan mentions six approaches to writing about film, in his book titled A short Guide to writing about film. In this essay I will discuss how the movie Halloween, directed by John Carpenter in 1978, can be related to five out of the six approaches by Timothy Corrigan.
Stephan King Essay Research Paper Stephen King
Stephan King Essay, Research Paper Stephen King was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine. In 1949, when Stephen was 2 years old, his father left one night and never came back. There are a couple of turning points in his young life that he believes pointed him in the direction that he now is at. In 1954 he began to write stories.
Holocaust Unit Summary Essay Research Paper I
Holocaust Unit Summary Essay, Research Paper I was mostly affected by this unit because it showed me that in the midst of all the unkindness of the Nazi party, that there were still some people left who were kind
ROTC Entrence Essay Essay Research Paper entrance
ROTC Entrence Essay Essay, Research Paper entrance essay For almost as long as I cn remember, I have been interested in th military. Influenced by such movies as “Patton”, and by my dad’s interest in military history, my
Scary Movies Essay Research Paper Essay 4
Scary Movies Essay, Research Paper Essay 4: Synthesis Activity #2 How often do you hear a person refer to a movie as a horror movie these days? Now that you think about it, you don t hear it very often. Usually, when you hear a person describing a movie categorized as a horror they refer to it as a scary movie. While working on this project I came to the conclusion that there is a noticeable difference between the two.
Antibiotic Resistance Essay Research Paper Antibiotic ResistanceAntibiotic
Antibiotic Resistance Essay, Research Paper Antibiotic Resistance Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria that cause infection are not killed by the antibiotics taken to stop the infection. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply causing more harm. Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Hamlet Essay Research Paper Hamlet 2000 CritiqueWhen
Hamlet Essay, Research Paper ?Hamlet? (2000) Critique When we watch movies, we look for entertainment. That is the only reason why theatrical movies are created. Movies create entertainment which creates money.
Nightmare World Essay Research Paper Analasys of
Nightmare World Essay, Research Paper Analasys of “Nightmare World” By Luke Miller In the essay, “Nightmare World” by Stanley J. Solomon, he talks about how a horror film is a safe place to confront fear and violence that pervades our life. Its the fear in our minds that we have, and it is the fear that we can release by watching a scarey movie.
Blade Runner Essay Research Paper Blade RunnerThis
Blade Runner Essay, Research Paper Blade Runner This movie was very similar to the many other shall we say ?alien? movies out there. This movie may have been more correct with what may happen in the future. There wasn?t any explosions or planets blowing up, or anything as drastic as that. It was a more subtle thought of what happens if aliens really do take over.
Scream 3 Essay Research Paper Scream is
Scream 3 Essay, Research Paper Scream is a movie created by Wes Craven (creator of A Nightmare on Elm Street) is a turn of the tables on the typical horror flick. The problem with today s slasher movies is that the character s are all one-note stereotypes, the plots are ridiculous, the action always follows the same dreary pattern, and the only creative effort is in the new bloody makeup effects.
ALIENS Essay Research Paper No I do
ALIENS Essay, Research Paper No I do not believe in aliens. I will tell you why I do not believe in aliens. I don?t believe in aliens because I believe nothing that is not a fact, or some thing that
Who I Am Essay Research Paper Hi
Who I Am Essay, Research Paper Hi there. What?s going on? To answer a few of your questions, I live in Valley Stream in Nassau County. I will travel anywhere to be with the one I love. I am a very sensitive and caring guy. I love to go to the movies, I love to dance and no I do not smoke. Lol. I have perfect teeth and I want to keep it that way.
Pop Culture
’s Negative Effects Essay, Research Paper May 2001 English 115 – In today s society, popular culture is often accused of having a negative effect on individuals. In Lee Ballinger s Rock and Rap Have Never Been Better and Stephen King s Why We Crave Horror Movies, the authors express their opinions on the inaccuracy of this statement.
Genres Of Movies Essay Research Paper Tim
Genres Of Movies Essay, Research Paper Tim Robison English 1101.03 Myers March 30, 1999 Outline Topic: What types of movies do you prefer? Discuss these categories and explain your preferences.
Comparison Of Mary Shelly
’s Frankenstein To Movies And TV Show’s Frankenstein Essay, Research Paper Comparison Of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to Movies and TV Show’s Frankenstein
Stephen KingS Why We Crave Horror Movies
? Essay, Research Paper A Critique of Stephen King?s ?Why We Crave Horror Movies? Elliot Potter In Stephen King?s essay ?Why We Crave Horror Movies? he suggested that
Rasomon Essay Research Paper The HorrorA horror
Rasomon Essay, Research Paper The Horror A horror more terrible then fires – wars – epidemics – or bandits, this overwhelming horror is the weak character of man, the distrust and selfishness feeding each characters continual suspicion of his fellow man, always expecting the worst of them. The priest describes this horrific human trait and the world it creates with but a few lines;
Television Vs Movies Essay Research Paper Before
Television Vs Movies Essay, Research Paper Before there was television and motion pictures (movies), people used to spend their leisure time listening to the radio. They were offered little variety and often routinely listened to the same things. In the late 1800?s and early 1900?s, motion pictures and television were invented, respectively.
Why Do People Like Scarry Movies Essay
, Research Paper For years people have been scared by horror movies and they continue going back. Alfred Hitchcock once said, “drama is life with the dull bits left out.” Why do people like to watch other people get hurt and die while being scared enough to make them jerk in their seat? Movie goers like horror movies because people in general have dull lives.
Blair Witch Project Movie Review Essay Research
Paper “In October of ‘94, three student filmmakers disappear in the woods of Burkittsville, MD, while shooting a documentary… a year later their footage was found.” With that introduction, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez launched what was one of the most chilling and most successful horror movies in the last 20 years.
Antibiotic Resistance Essay Research Paper Darwins theory
Antibiotic Resistance Essay, Research Paper Darwin?s theory of evolution can be explained like this; the environment acts as a selective agent, weeding out organisms less able to survive. Darwin described natural selection as a process in which organisms become better adapted to their environment. The organisms that evolved with beneficial variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, they pass on the favorable genetic material.
Life Essay Research Paper Both violent and
Life Essay, Research Paper Both violent and non-violent resistance are major themes in the movie The Mission. Even tough the Jesuits are peaceful of God they used both violent and non-violent resistance in this story to stand for what they believe in. Violent protest is aggressive and commanding while non-violent resistance is truly standing up for something.
Antibiotic Resistance Essay Research Paper
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria: “The more times you use a drug, the more it will decrease the effect it has on you.” For about 50 years, antibiotics have been the answer to many bacterial infections. Antibiotics
Horror Is Enthralling Essay Research Paper Horror
Horror Is Enthralling Essay, Research Paper Horror is enthralling Meeting with fear-causing sensations is a thing that most of us consider as fun entertainment. Facing states of horror frightens, but at the same time interests us. What matter behind horror actually gives one such satisfaction?
Music 2
Music & Movies Essay, Research Paper Music & Movies This paper is based on what I know about music. Music is a way of life, and life would be a mistake without music. Music can encourage ones emotions, thoughts, and feelings.
Horror Movies Essay Research Paper Natural Born
Horror Movies Essay, Research Paper ?Natural Born Killers,? ? Psycho,? ? Friday the 13th ,? and ?The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? are all horror films. In these films there is always some crazy person or monster-like character that goes around and slaughters innocent people. And usually, but not all the time the killer is killed at the end of the movie.
Movies Essay Research Paper Many people go
Movies Essay, Research Paper Many people go to the movies. The movies are an escape into a fantasy world. Everyone has a different preference on what kind of movie is the best. Romance, horror, action, and comedy are different types of movies. The kind of movie someone goes to see can give clues to what kind of person they are.
Bacterial Resistance Essay Research Paper Bacterial resistance
Bacterial Resistance Essay, Research Paper Bacterial resistance is a problem that has profoundly impacted the medical community. Bacterial resistance results when bacteria become resistant to individual antibiotics through the development of specific defense mechanisms which render the antibiotic ineffective.
Douglass Essay Research Paper DouglassIn Frederick Douglass
Douglass Essay, Research Paper Douglass In Frederick Douglass? writings I learned that his physical struggles and his writing as resistance are nearly parallel. When Douglass is living in Baltimore with the Auld family, Mrs. Auld began to teach him the alphabet. After this was discovered by Mr. Auld, the teaching ceased, and Douglass was carefully watched to be sure that he was not reading when alone.
Violence Essay Research Paper Violence Violence is
Violence Essay, Research Paper Violence Violence is the biggest problem kids, teenagers, and adults have in our society today. Everyday there is usually a headline story or article about a shooting, or killing.