What Causes Antibiotic Resistance?
When bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, some bacteria with natural variations or mutations that make them resistant can survive and reproduce. These resistant bacteria become more common over time, and the overall population becomes less susceptible to the antibiotic.
The causes of antibiotic resistance are:
- Overuse and misuse of antibiotics: Chronic and inappropriate use of antibiotics is a driving force behind antibiotic resistance.
- Incomplete Treatment: Failure to complete a prescribed antibiotic course can leave behind surviving bacteria, potentially leading to the development of resistance within bacterial populations.
- Horizontal Gene Transfer: Resistant bacteria can share genes with other bacteria, allowing resistance to spread quickly across different species.
- Selective Pressure: Overuse and misuse of antibiotics create selective pressure, allowing bacteria with resistance traits to survive and proliferate.
- Inadequate diagnostics: Inaccurate or incomplete diagnostic testing may lead to unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions, contributing to the development of resistance.
- Poor hygiene: Inadequate hygiene practices can facilitate the spread of resistant bacteria, increasing the likelihood of infections that require antibiotic treatment.
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What Causes Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria?
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria occurs when they develop the ability to survive antibiotics that were once effective against them. This is majorly caused due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. There are other causes of antibiotic resistance as well.