The discovery of penicillin in the petri dished that could not be washed in time revolutionized the health care during the 20th century. Unfortunately, it created a new problem: the resistance of bacteria towards antibiotics.One of the reasons for this is the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for diseases where it is not "essential". In addition, the reference I suggested below elucidates the role of natural environment in spreading the antibiotic resistant bacteria. the micro-organisms themselves have antibiotic resistant genes under natural circumstances. These could be spread by wild animals and migratory birds compounding the effect.
The indiscriminate use of antibiotics for clinical and agricultural purposes will have a drastic impact of future human health. Sweden should be applauded for banning the use of antibiotics in cattle health. As a result, the chances of antibiotics resistant strains passing over to humans are minimized. However, there is a need for judicious use or alternative strategies for controlling infections.
Suggested reading:
Heather K. Allen, Justin Donato, Helena Huimi Wang, Karen A. Cloud-Hansen, Julian Davies & Jo Handelsman, Call of the wild: antibiotic resistance genes in natural environments, Nature Reviews Microbiology, 8, 251-259 (April 2010).
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