Re: Do unneeded antibiotic treatments help evolve resistant bacteria?

"Vend" <vend82@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:f3q2s9$21ps$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
...
People always have bacteria in their bodies. Usually these bacterial
populations don't cause any problem, but sometimes they can go out of
control (they reproduce too much or they spread to body parts where
they are not supposed to be) then antibiotics are needed to resolve
the situation. If those bacteria have evolved a resistance to a
particular antibiotic class, then those antibiotics fill fail.

That makes sense to me. I believe the problem can occur
when, for example, an ulcer or wound in the stomach or intestines
causes a break in the epithelium that contains bacteria in the
digestive tract.

I think it may also occur if the immune system is compromised,
for example by HIV or by advancing age.

Also I think (but I'm not sure about this) that bacteria can excange
genetic mateial, thus a normal occourring bacterium could in principle
transfer his antibiotic resistance to a pathogen bacterium.

That's another interesting point. Genetic exchanges do occur
between bacteria, even those of radically different type. I don't
know what the likelihood is antibiotic resistance might be
transferred in this way, but it does seem worth investigating.

...
Every time you show the enemy your weapons tactics, you run the risk
that the next time they will be prepared to counter them. Therefore
it's better not to do that unless the benefit is greater than the
risk.

It would seem clear that when there is every reason to believe
that the patient's infection is viral, the risk is greater than the benefit
(which is zero.)

Thanks for the reply.

Alan



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