NOT VIRUSES
Antibiotics do not work on viruses, and their use in attempted treatments of viral diseases has contributed to antibiotic immunity. In the belief that antibiotics are, indeed, miracle drugs, many patients demand antibiotics for viral illnesses. For example, a sore throat cannot be treated with an antibiotic. However, strep throat, which is caused by a bacterial infection, can be killed with antibiotic treatments.
By taking antibiotics that are not meant for battling a particular condition, the bacteria have an opportunity to develop immunity. Adding to the patient’s potential problems, use of antibiotics may kill the good bacteria and the harmless ones.
Typically, doctors don't recommend the use of antibiotics for the flu, sore throats, the common cold, bronchitis, coughs, some sinus infections, most ear infections, and the stomach flu.
In the classic case of misguided medicine, doctors prescribe antibiotics for upper respiratory infections. But the immunity factor causes children to develop the C. diff strain. This antibiotic-resistant bacterium causes more than 13,000 deaths each year. C.diff gained strength by antibiotics wiping out many strains of gut flora, the good bacteria that support digestion and immunity. That allowed the opportunistic C.diff to develop immunity.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that many more cases of gonorrhea are emerging, attributing it to antibiotic resistance. Gonorrhea can cause fertility problems, ectopic pregnancies, neonatal eye infections and pelvic inflammation.