SRI CHAITANYA
TECHNO
SCHOOL
NAME: SPOORTI S
KOLUR
CLASS: 12th
SUBJECT: BIOLOGY
TOPIC: ANTIBIOTIC
RESISTANCE
ACKNOWLEDGEMEN
T
I would like to convey my
heartful gratitude to
Mr.Chandrappa for his
tremendous support and
assistance in completion of
my project. I would like to
thank him for providing me
with wonderful opportunity to
work on a project with the
topic Antibiotic Resistance.
The completion of the project
would not have been possible
without your help and
insights.
Spoorti S Kolur
INTRODUCTION
What are antibiotics?
Antibiotics can save lives and are
important tools for treating common
and serious bacterial infections. But it
is important to use antibiotics only
when needed and only as prescribed.
Antibiotics are not effective against
viral infections like colds, influenza
(flu), most sore throats, bronchitis, and
many sinus and ear infections.
Widespread use of antibiotics for these
illnesses can promote the spread of
antibiotic resistance.
What are antibiotic
resistances?
Antibiotic resistance occurs when
bacteria develop defences against the
antibiotics designed to kill them. Once
resistance develops to one antibiotic,
different antibiotics, which can be less
effective or have more side effects,
are needed for treatment. Sometimes
bacteria can become resistant to all
available antibiotics, leaving patients
with infections caused by these
bacteria with no options for therapy.
Further, resistant bacteria can be
spread to other people either in the
healthcare setting or at home.
How do bacteria become
resistant to antibiotics?
Bacteria have adapted to many of the
antibiotics that are prescribed to treat
infection. Gene mutations within the
bacteria may occur that make them
immune to the effects of the
antibiotic, meaning that they can
survive exposure medication and
become resistant to it. Also, bacteria
“talk” to each other and share gene
changes, so that resistance to an
antibiotic may become widespread in
a geographic area.
The ability for an antibiotic to kill
bacteria and treat an infection
depends on the ability of the bacteria
to develop resistance, which in turn
depends upon whether there has been
historically good use of an antibiotic in
an area, or whether antibiotics have
been prescribed inappropriately.
Should health care providers
overprescribe antibiotics
inappropriately, or if patients demand
antibiotics when they are not needed,
the likelihood of antibiotic resistance
developing in an area may increase.
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide
problem and the World Health
Organization warns that the progress
science and medicine has made in
treating infections could be threatened
as antibiotics become less effective.
What are some types of
antibiotic resistance?
The type of antibiotic resistance is
often classified by the type of bacteria
that has become resistant to a specific
antibiotic.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) is the most
commonly resistant bacteria. It
usually causes a skin infection in
the community and pneumonia in
the hospital setting.
Vancomycin-
resistant Enterococcus (VRE)
Multi drug
resistant Mycoplasma tuberculosis
The World Health Organization lists
ESPAKE bacteria as the most
dangerous to humans:
Enterococcus faecium
Staphylococcus aureus
Klebsiella pneumoniae
What causes antibiotic
resistance?
Bacteria may develop resistance to
antibiotics in a variety of ways.
When they have repeated exposure
to antibiotics in their environment,
they may adapt and become more
tolerant and less likely to be killed
by that antibiotic.
Bacteria can develop gene
mutations to survive the
antibiotics.
Bacteria can transfer genetic
material between each other to
become resistant to an antibiotic in
their environment.
Regardless of their coping strategies,
bacteria become resistant only in the
face of increasing presence of
antibiotics. Therefore, the root cause
of antibiotic resistance is the
increased use of antibiotics to treat
infections.
While antibiotics save lives, not all
infections need to be treated with
antibiotics. For example, antibiotics
are not effective for viruses. Yet
sometimes health care providers
prescribe, or patients demand,
antibiotics for colds, sinus
infections, ear infections, and
influenza.
Another large source of antibiotics in
the environment comes from their use
in agriculture and their presence in
livestock feed and disease treatment.
Mechanism of antibiotic
resistance
Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms fall into
four main categories: (1) limiting uptake of a
drug; (2) modifying a drug target; (3)
inactivating a drug; (4) active drug efflux.
Intrinsic resistance may make use of limiting
uptake, drug inactivation, and drug efflux;
acquired resistance mechanisms used may be
drug target modification, drug inactivation,
and drug efflux. Because of differences in
structure, etc., there is variation in the types
of mechanisms used by gram negative
bacteria versus gram positive bacteria. Gram
negative bacteria make use of all four main
mechanisms, whereas gram positive bacteria
less commonly use limiting the uptake of a
drug and don't have the capacity for certain
types of drug efflux mechanisms (refer to the
drug efflux pumps later in this manuscript).
How to Prevent Antibiotic
Resistance?
There are many ways to help prevent
resistance and protect individuals and
their families:
Wash Your Hands and Practice
Healthy Hygiene: We are
regularly exposed to millions of
germs. Proper handwashing can
help fight germs and prevent
illness. It is also important to cover
coughs and sneezes with a tissue
or your elbow (not your hand).
Know the Symptoms: Learn how
to recognize early symptoms of an
infection. Talk with a healthcare
professional if you think you have
an infection, or if your infection is
not getting better or is getting
worse.
Ask Questions: Talk with a
healthcare professional about why
antibiotics are being prescribed,
possible side effects, and how long
you will need to take them.
Learn the Right Ways to Use
Antibiotics: Antibiotics are not
effective against all infections.
Make sure you are getting the right
antibiotic, at the right dose, for the
right amount of time. Never
demand antibiotics if a healthcare
professional says they are
unnecessary.
Never Share or Use Leftover
Antibiotics: Take antibiotics
exactly as prescribed and do not
stop early or share unused
prescription medications.
Prepare Food Safely: Food such
as meat, fruits, and vegetables can
be contaminated with bacteria.
The Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) recommends
4 simple steps to prepare food
safely at home—clean, separate,
cook, and chill.
Get Vaccinated: Staying up to
date on all recommended vaccines,
can help prevent illness.
Stay Healthy When Traveling
Abroad: Know what vaccinations
are needed, check health alerts,
stick to safe food and drinks, and
plan in advance in case you do get
sick.
Prevent Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STIs): Lower your risk
by choosing safer sexual activities
and using condoms to help avoid
infections such as gonorrhea that
may be resistant to the drugs
designed to treat them.
Conclusion
The reality is that bacterial are very versatile
and adaptive. In order to survive they need to
be capable of dealing with toxic substances.
Free living bacteria need to be able to survive
toxic attacks and waste products from other
organisms. It should come as no surprise that
the bacteria that infect humans are able to
defend themselves against antimicrobial
agents. With the alarming increase in
antimicrobial resistance, it is imperative that
we find ways to combat these pathogens.
Unfortunately, there is no easy (or cheap,
probably) answer to this dilemma. Perhaps
we need to rethink how we design new
antimicrobial agents; or maybe start looking
to natural substances for clues on what could
be used in this fight.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
.www.nfid.org
.www.cleavlandclinic.org
.www.who.int
.www.wikipedia.org
.www.stockphotos.adobe.com
