While bacteria deserve credit for adapting, factors in their surprising resistance include the overuse of antibiotics by medical professionals in treatments, the presence of antibiotics in our food chain (particularly in meat, poultry and fish) and the insistence by some patients that they be treated with antibiotics, even for conditions where they offer little to no benefit.

Scientists and medical researchers developed the first strains of antibiotics in the 1940s as a way to prevent infections. Bacteria are found everywhere on and inside the body, and while many are helpful and enhance body functions, some are deadly and can lead to infections that may increase illnesses or even cause death. By using antibiotics, bacteria are eliminated and their ability to reproduce halted.  

RESISTANCE IS GRADUAL

Mutations in bacteria are responsible for the immunity. After frequent exposure, bacteria develop defenses against the way certain drugs attack them, in some cases neutralizing the effects. What is potentially devastating is the bacteria’s ability to pass along its knowledge of defeating a particular drug. By transferring that knowledge and by reproducing the defense, it creates a new strain of bacteria that can’t be eradicated by that drug.

While the development is unfortunate, such resistance is not unexpected. The pharmaceutical community has kept pace by developing new antibiotics. However, the use of antibiotics and its presence in the food chain has sped up the immunity cycle.

ANTIBIOTICS: ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

While antibiotics can defeat bacteria, they do not work on viruses. That is one of the reasons why immunity has been sped up.  Many patients demand antibiotics for conditions caused by viruses. In the classic example, developing a sore throat is not cause for taking an antibiotic, but strep throat, which is caused by a bacterial infection, is susceptible to antibiotic treatments.