Antibiotic Resistance and Human Behavior

2324 Words10 Pages
Running head: Antibiotic Resistance and Human Behavior Antibiotic Resistance and Human Behavior Abstract Not long after Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1929, the first antibiotics were prescribed and effectively cured bacterial infections, causing infectious disease mortality rates to plummet and penicillins and sulfonomides to be deemed “miracle drugs”. Until the discovery of antibiotic drugs, bacterial infections were often fatal; mass use of antibiotics starting in the 1940s added 8 years to human life expectancy between 1944 and 1972. ("Antibiotics 1928 - 2000", n.d.) Yet as soon as 4 years after penicillin hit the market, penicillin-resistant bacterial infections were reported. There was little concern over antibiotic-resistant microbes initially, due to the large emerging field of antibiotic study and manufacture. As the advancements in new drugs slowed down with the efforts to reduce toxicity of old drugs and alter them to revive resistance-developed drugs, development of new classes of antibiotics trickled to a stop and resistance took on a whole new meaning. As a result, scientists worldwide looked into how bacteria become resistant to drugs, and what factors affect that resistance. We will take an in-depth look at the mechanisms of action of antibiotics, the process of resistance, the effects of human behaviors on resistance and the responsibilities of human kind when using antibiotics to lessen resistance. How Antibiotics Work Antibiotics work with the body to cure infections one of two ways: bactericidal antibiotics directly affect the bacteria in a way that leads to cell death, and bacteriostatic antibiotics slow the growth and reproduction of bacteria, enabling the body’s immune system to eradicate the infection. Bactericidal antibiotics include penecillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides and quinolones.

More about Antibiotic Resistance and Human Behavior

Open Document