Effects of Antibiotics in Humans
Author: Jennifer Tanksley
Instructor: Dr. James E Ayers
Course Number: 102
Date: February 5, 2012
The advantages and disadvantages of Antibiotic usage in Humans
Since the discovery of antibiotics and their usefulness in therapeutic interventions, they
have risen to prominence owing to their ability to improve the quality of life through the
treatment and management of a wide array of diseases of bacterial aetiology. An
Antibiotic is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.
Antibiotics are powerful drugs for disease management making them fundamental
alternatives for the prolongation of the natural span of life. Antibiotics have unquestionably
saved more lives than any other drug ever discovered by man. However, it does not
necessarily imply that antibiotics do not possess the flip side. It has been demonstrated that
antibiotics indiscriminately wipe out both normal and abnormal gastrointestinal and vulvo-
vaginal flora. Human overuse as well as the widespread use of antibiotics has been
responsible for the co-resistance and cross resistance to multiple antibiotics. This paper is a
concise exposition of the effects of prolonged usage and the pro 's and con 's of antibiotics in
humans.
Currently, after decades of overuse in human medicine the threat of antibiotic
resistance has become a reality. Resistance in certain species of antibiotics has been
attributed to inadequate and inappropriate use of antibiotic drugs (Andersson 2005).
Through resistance genes strains of bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to drugs
in everyday usage. The transfer of antibiotic resistance from one bacterial species to another
is a real threat to the continued efficacy of antibiotics in the treatment and management of
diseases of bacterial aetiology. The inevitability of antibiotic resistance is driven by the
injudicious and indiscriminate prescription of
Instructor: Dr. James E Ayers
Course Number: 102
Date: February 5, 2012
The advantages and disadvantages of Antibiotic usage in Humans
Since the discovery of antibiotics and their usefulness in therapeutic interventions, they
have risen to prominence owing to their ability to improve the quality of life through the
treatment and management of a wide array of diseases of bacterial aetiology. An
Antibiotic is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.
Antibiotics are powerful drugs for disease management making them fundamental
alternatives for the prolongation of the natural span of life. Antibiotics have unquestionably
saved more lives than any other drug ever discovered by man. However, it does not
necessarily imply that antibiotics do not possess the flip side. It has been demonstrated that
antibiotics indiscriminately wipe out both normal and abnormal gastrointestinal and vulvo-
vaginal flora. Human overuse as well as the widespread use of antibiotics has been
responsible for the co-resistance and cross resistance to multiple antibiotics. This paper is a
concise exposition of the effects of prolonged usage and the pro 's and con 's of antibiotics in
humans.
Currently, after decades of overuse in human medicine the threat of antibiotic
resistance has become a reality. Resistance in certain species of antibiotics has been
attributed to inadequate and inappropriate use of antibiotic drugs (Andersson 2005).
Through resistance genes strains of bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to drugs
in everyday usage. The transfer of antibiotic resistance from one bacterial species to another
is a real threat to the continued efficacy of antibiotics in the treatment and management of
diseases of bacterial aetiology. The inevitability of antibiotic resistance is driven by the
injudicious and indiscriminate prescription of
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