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Misuse of Antibiotics

What You Should Know About Antibiotics

What are bacteria?

Bacteria are germs that cause infections in people.  Examples of infections caused by bacteria include infections of the skin, throat, lung and urinary tract.

Infections can be caused by other types of germs such as viruses.  Examples of common infections caused by viruses are the common cold, influenza and chickenpox.

What are antibiotics?

Antibiotics are medicines used to treat specific infections caused by bacteria.  They either kill bacteria or keep more bacteria from growing.  Antibiotics will not cure infections caused by viruses.

Do antibiotics always work?

When an antibiotic is overused or misused, bacteria can become resistant to it.  This means that this antibiotic cannot kill the bacteria or keep it from growing.  Some bacteria that cause common infections have become resistant to many different antibiotics.  For example:  Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that often causes lung infections, is no longer easily treated with antibiotics such as penicillin.

What happens when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics?

When antibiotics are not used appropriately, they become less useful to everyone.  Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can cause serious infections in the person receiving the antibiotics.  These infections can occur even while persons are taking an antibiotic. These bacteria could spread to family members and other close contacts, causing them to also get sick.