If you think antibiotic resistance doesn't affect you, think again.

35 million pounds of antibiotics are consumed annually in the United States. Antibiotics have played a profoundly important role in staving off bacterial infections since Alexander Fleming first discovered them in 1927. But the effectiveness of these so-called miracle drugs has waned in recent years as some of the very bacteria they are meant to control have been mutating into new forms that don’t respond to treatment. Many medical experts blame this phenomenon on both the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in recent years in both human medicine and in agriculture. Drugs that once destroyed almost any bacteria now kill only a few, or don’t work at all.

What are antibiotics? Antibiotics are small molecules that kill or stop the growth of bacteria by blocking essential functions within the bacteria cell.

Antibiotic Resistance a Pressing Health Issue, Doctors first noticed antibiotic resistance more than a decade ago when children with middle ear infections stopped responding to them. Penicillin as a treatment for strep has also become increasingly less effective. And a recently discovered strain of staph bacteria does not respond to antibiotic treatments at all, leading medical analysts to worry that certain “super bugs” could emerge that are resistant to even the most potent drugs, rendering some infections incurable. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls antibiotic resistance one of its “top concerns” and “one of the world’s most pressing health problems.”

Incorrect Use of Antibiotics Increases Resistance, One large part of the problem, according to the CDC, is the tendency for people to take antibiotics to fight viruses, which they cannot do. Antibiotics fight bacteria, not viruses, and will not fight colds, flu, bronchitis, runny noses, or sore throats.

Taking antibiotics for problems that the immune system should handle is like having your personal trainer do your work outs for you.

Things you do not need antibiotics for:

• Most ear infections
• Colds
• Influenza (flu)
• Most coughs
• Most sore throats
• Bronchitis
• Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis)

Things you May need antibiotics for:

• Some ear infections
• Severe sinus infections
• Strep throat
• Urinary tract infections
• Many wound and skin infections

References:
http://www.physorg.com/news104764947.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN168060320071017
http://www.sciencecodex.com/disinfectants_may_promote_growth_of_superbugs