Antibiotics

Antibiotics are chemical compounds which inhibit the growth of microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. Originally, the term antibiotic meant any agent that acted biologically against living organisms. But the word antibiotic now refers to all products with anti-bacterial, anti-parasitical or anti-fungal properties

The first antibiotics that we are aware of, were used by the chinese some 2,500 years ago, and other ancient civilizations such as the greeks and egyptians used plants and plant extracts to treat their infections. Notable figures in the history of antibiotics include the German Paul Ehrlich, who in 1909 began using the antibiotic Salvarsan to treat syphilis, and of course Alexander Fleming, who popularized the use of penicillin.

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In an advancement over previous treatments for infection, which usually involved potentially dangerous chemical compounds such as arsenic, microbial antibiotics have few side-effects and are extremely target-effective. For example, most anti-bacterial antibiotics will not have any effect on fungi or other microbes. Highly-targeted antibiotics are known as narrow spectrum antibiotics, while broad spectrum antibiotics can affect a larger range of bacteria.

How effective a specific antibiotic is will usually depend on how easily it can reach the location of an infection, and the innate resistance of the target microbe to the antibiotic. Some antibiotics will attempt to destroy bacteria, while others aim to stop them multiplying.

An oral antibiotic is ingested, whereas an intravenous antibiotic, more likely to be used in a serious case of infection, can be administered directly into the bloodstream. Some antibiotics can also be administered what’s known as ‘topically’, which means for example using ointment or eye drops.

Recent medical advancements have brought new classes of antibiotics to the fore for the first time in many decades. These include oxazolidinones (linezolid), cyclic lipopeptides (daptomycin) and glycylcyclines (tigecycline).

The potential side-effects of antibiotics vary greatly, and depend on the type of antibiotic and the type of infection being fought. Patients can get fevered or nauseous, or have serious allergic reactions. One particularly common side-effect of taking antibiotics is diarrhea, which occurs because the antibiotic interferes with the normal function of the intestines.

Other side effects can be brought on by the interaction of antibiotics with different kinds of drugs, which is why it is important to consult a healthcare professional before beginning a course of antibiotics.

Any course of antibiotics must always be seen through to its conclusion, even if the patient feels 100% recovered, to allow complete clearance of the offending organism from the system. Failure to finish a course of antibiotics can lead to a recurrence of the infection.

Use of antibiotics can lead to infecting organisms developing a resistance to the antibiotics, just like use of pesticides can lead to pesticide-resistant insects. This occurs when not all of the infecting organisms are killed off by treatment, and the surviving organisms are allowed to multiply. This will create a situation where a much larger percentage of the infecting organism will possess a natural resistance to the antibiotic being used. The resistant properties were infrequent in the original infection, but the new infection, descended from the original resistant organisms, is much more resistant.

This resistance to antibiotics is a great and growing problem. Many serious infections such as tuberculosis are now being spread with strains that are resistant to popular antibiotics. In many hospitals, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is so great that most cheap antibiotics are useless for treating infections. This of course is a particularly serious problem in the third world, and areas where cheap antibiotics are often the only treatment option available.

Another example of this antibiotic resistance is Staphlococcus aureus, an infection that could be easily and cheaply treated with penicillin fifty years ago. Now virtually all strains are penicillin-resistant, and many are also resistant to another popular antibiotic, nafcillin. This leaves only a small umber of remaining treatment options.
Some of the more common antibiotics being used today include:

Penicillins

Ampicillin (Penbritin)
Amoxicillin (Amoxil)
Co-amoxiclav (Augmentin)
Flucloxacillin (Floxapen)

Cephalosporins

Cefalexin (Ceporex, Keflex)
Cefaclor (Distaclor)
Cefuroxime (Zinnat)

Aminoglycosides

Gentamicin (Cydomycin)
Neomycin (Nivemycin)

Macrolides

Erythromycin (Erymax, Erythrocin, Erythroped)
Clarithromycin (Klaricid)

Quinolones

Ciprofloxacin (Ciproxin)

Others

Clindamycin (Dalacin C)
Chloramphenicol
Isoniazid
Metronidazole (Flagyl)
Rifampicin
Trimethoprim (Monoprim)
Vancomycin (Vancocin)

Most antibiotics begin to act on an infection within a few hours, and as mentioned earlier, it is crucial to finish a course of treatment in order to avoid a hasty recurrence of the infection. Sometimes an infection can become resistant to the antibiotic you are using so rapidly, that your treatment will stop working before the infection is cleared. In this case, you should consult your healthcare provider immediately.

Some antibiotics should not be taken with particular food or drink, and some are more effective when taken on an empty stomach, preferably about an hour before mealtimes. Tetracyclines should not be taken with dairy products, which can restrict their absorption by the body, and metronidazole should never ever be mixed with alcohol.

Antibiotics