What is antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic resistance is when bacteria change in a way that makes antibiotics work less or in some cases not at all. These resistant bacteria survive and multiply – causing more harm, such as a longer illness, more doctor visits, and a need for more expensive and toxic antibiotics. Resistant bacteria may even cause death. Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the world’s most pressing public health problems. One type of antibiotic resistant bacteria is methicillin resistant Staphilococcus aureus, or MRSA. Back to the top.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively kill or control bacterial growth. These bacteria are considered to be “resistant” to the antibiotic. Once bacteria develop resistance to antibiotic treatment, they can continue to live and/or multiply and cause infection even after an antibiotic is taken.
Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in some way that reduces or eliminates the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to cure or prevent infections. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply causing more harm.
Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a bacterial cell to resist the harmful effect of an antibiotic. This resistance may be represented by several different systems, and a given bacterial cell may have one or more of these systems available. • The bacterium may have a system that prevents entry of the antibiotic into the cell. • The bacterium may have a system that destroys the antibiotic if the antibiotic gains entry into the cell. • The bacterium may have a system that associates with the antibiotic inside the cell and therefore blocks the action of the antibiotic. • The bacterium may have a system that pumps the antibiotic out of the cell before the antibiotic can act within the cell. Any one or more of these systems possessed by a bacterium can prevent a particular antibiotic from working. It is rare for a given bacterium to have either one or more of these systems that prevents the action of every single antibiotic available against that bacterium. However, it looks like this s
Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria or other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic. Bacteria can do this through several mechanisms. Some bacteria develop the ability to neutralize the antibiotic before it can do harm, others can rapidly pump the antibiotic out, and still others can change the antibiotic attack site so it cannot affect the function of the bacteria. Why are bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics? Antibiotics kill or inhibit the growth of susceptible bacteria. Sometimes one of the bacteria survives because it has the ability to neutralize or evade the effect of the antibiotic; that one bacteria can then multiply and replace all the bacteria that were killed off. Exposure to antibiotics therefore provides selective pressure, which makes the surviving bacteria more likely to be resistant. In addition, bacteria that were at one time susceptible to an antibiotic can acquire resistance through mutation of their genetic material or by acquiring piece
