How did MRSA become resistant to antibiotic treatment?
Bacteria generally start showing resistance fairly quickly to any medication that’s designed to defeat them. Most often, a mutation in the bacteria allows it to survive the drug treatment, and these surviving bacteria create many more copies of themselves that are also resistant. Scientists are trying to stay one step ahead of the bacteria by creating new drugs to defeat them. The public can help slow down bacterial resistance by not using any unnecessary antibiotic medications. For example, studies have shown that most cases of ear infection and bronchitis do not need to be treated with antibiotics. By refraining from antibiotic use in unnecessary situations, people help preserve the drugs’ effectiveness for when they are truly needed.
