10 Antimicrobials at a Glance

I am uncomfortable taking antibiotics and I have written one or two articles explaining why.
Penicillin was magnificent back in 1929. Back then, antibiotics were new and not yet routine. Since that time, antibiotic resistance has become all too common in the developing world, and now we are seeing a shift away from antibiotics. Farms and restaurant chains are getting rid of antibiotic-raised livestock and meat. Articles are being published every day about antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which are causing havoc around the globe. Even President Obama is developing strategies to move the country away from dependence upon antibiotics.

We cannot and should not avoid bacteria. Bacteria are masters of adaptation in response to new substances entering their environments.

This article says it best: “As soon as a bacterium develops a method for countering an antibiotic, it systematically begins to pass the knowledge on to other bacteria at an extremely rapid rate. In fact, bacteria are now communicating across bacterial species lines — something they were never known to do before the advent of commercial antibiotics. They transfer a significant amount of resistance information by releasing it into the environment to be taken up by other bacteria.” Read more “10 Antimicrobials at a Glance”