Resistance
Define the Following Vocabulary
- Antimicrobial
An antimicrobial is an agent that kills or stops the growth of a microorganism. There exist numerous examples of antimicrobial agents, and amongst them include penicillin and ofloxacin. The antimicrobial medicines are usually categorized based on the specific organisms that they function against. For instance, antibiotics are used for the treatment of bacterial infections and antifungals for the treatment of fungal infections. The usage of antimicrobial medicines for infection treatment is termed as antimicrobial chemotherapy.
- Broad-spectrum
Broad-spectrum refers to something efficient in numerous ways. Ampicillin is an excellent example of a broad-spectrum antibiotic (Fukuchi & Sugawara, 2020). A broad-spectrum antibiotic refers to any medicine that functions against a broad range of disease-causing bacteria.
- Narrow spectrum
In medicine, narrow-spectrum antibiotics refer to the antibiotics that solely function against the gram-negative bacteria (Fukuchi & Sugawara, 2020). In most instances, narrow-spectrum antibiotics get used for specific infections, when the organism responsible for the infection is well-known. An example of a narrow-spectrum antibiotic is Vancomycin.
- Bacteriostatic
Bacteriostatic refers to a chemical or biological agent that stops the reproduction of bacteria without essentially killing them (Almehdar et al., 2020). Amongst the antibiotics referred to as bacteriostatic, include linezolid, macrolides, clindamycin, and chloramphenicol. Commonly, bacteriostatic agents are used for the treatment of meningitis and endocarditis.
- Bactericidal
Bactericidal antibiotics are used to kill bacteria, unlike bacteriostatic antibiotics, which keep the growth of bacteria static (Almehdar et al., 2020). Examples of bactericidal antibiotics that inhibit cell-wall synthesis include monobactams and cephalosporins.
- Susceptibility
In medicine, susceptibility refers to the inability to resist something like pathogens, drugs, and familial diseases. With antibiotics, susceptibility means that bacteria cannot grow in the presence of a particular drug (Hendrickx et al., 2018). Disease susceptibility is a state in which a person is at risk of being infected with a specific disease. There exist numerous factors that increase infection susceptibility, and amongst them include a poor diet, aging as well as exposure to toxicants.
- Resistance
In medicine, resistance to antibiotics refers to the ability of bacteria to resist the effect of an antibiotic that it was once sensitive. The common cause of antibiotic resistance is the overuse of particular medicine (Hendrickx et al., 2018). The best way to minimize drug resistance is to use antibiotics only when prescribed by a physician, and even then, take full prescription regardless of if one feels like they have fully recuperated.
Describe How To Avoid That Patients Develop Resistance To Antimicrobial Therapy.
Antimicrobial therapy refers to one that kills or prevents the growth of microorganisms. The more that an individual gets many antibiotic treatments, the more likely they are to develop resistance to bacteria. In ensuring that the patients do not develop resistance to antimicrobial therapy, physicians should prescribe the use of antibiotics only when necessary and unavoidable (Rather, Kim, Bajpai & Park, 2017). Given that antibiotic resistance occurs as a result of the continuous use of certain antibiotics, doctors must develop new drugs for bacterial treatment. Similarly, sensitizing the patients to try as much as possible to avoid infections is essential. It aids in reducing the number of antibiotics that the patients consume hence decreasing their likelihood to develop resistance to antimicrobial therapy.
Similarly, immunization plays a significant role in the prevention of antibiotic resistance. Although obvious for any qualified physician, physicians should never offer their patients with antibiotics for conditions like flu, sore throat or cold, for, in any case, antibiotics have zero effect on such conditions. Finally, it is recommended that all hospitals follow infection prevention and control rules, inclusive of practicing good hygiene.
References
Almehdar, H. A., El-Baky, N. A., Alhaider, A. A., Almuhaideb, S. A., Alhaider, A. A., Albiheyri, R. S., … & Redwan, E. M. (2020). Bacteriostatic and Bactericidal Activities of Camel Lactoferrins Against Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi.
Fukuchi, T., & Sugawara, H. (2020). Initial Narrow-or Broad-Spectrum Treatment for Meningoencephalitis. Internal Medicine, 3249-19.
Hendrickx, S., Guerin, P. J., Caljon, G., Croft, S. L., & Maes, L. (2018). Evaluating drug resistance in visceral leishmaniasis: the challenges. Parasitology, 145(4), 453-463.
Rather, I. A., Kim, B. C., Bajpai, V. K., & Park, Y. H. (2017). Self-medication and antibiotic resistance: Crisis, current challenges, and prevention. Saudi journal of biological sciences, 24(4), 808-812.