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Yes, over use of antibiotics can cause bacteria to become resistant.

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Q: Do antibiotics cause bacteria to become resistant?
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What is one advantage of restricting the use of antibiotics?

The germ causing the infection can become resistant ("immune") to the antibiotic, then it will basically make it useless in the fight against that germ.


Can ignoring the signs of a wound infection cause bacteria to become drug resistant?

Yes.


Can a viruses be cured using antibiotics?

Yes. But only by antiviral antibiotics, not antibacterial or antifungal or antiprotozoal antibiotics. Most antibiotics are antibacterial: such as penicillin, sulfa, cipro, rocephin, etc. The Herpes Simplex virus is a virus that can be attacked by an antibiotic, such as acyclovir. Just as with antibacterial antibiotics, antiviral antibiotics will become less effective over time as the viruses mutate to become more resistant. Therefore, these antibiotics should be used as judiciously as the other types of antibiotics.


What is mercers disease?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a type of staphylococcus or "staph" bacteria that are resistant to many http://wiki.answers.com/health-center/antibiotics-definition.aspx. Staph bacteria, like other kinds of bacteria, normally live on your skin and in your nose, usually without causing problems. MRSA is different from other types of staph because it cannot be treated with certain antibiotics such as methicillin.Staph bacteria only become a problem when they cause infection. For some people, especially those who are weak or ill, these infections can become serious.MRSA infections are more difficult to treat than ordinary staph infections. This is because the strains of staph that are known as MRSA do not respond well to many types of antibiotics, which are the types of medicines normally used to kill bacteria. When methicillin and other common antibiotic medicines do not kill the bacteria that is causing an infection, it becomes harder to get rid of the infection.MRSA bacteria are more likely to develop when antibiotics are used too often or are not used correctly. Given enough time, bacteria can outsmart antibiotics so that these medicines no longer work well. This is why MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria are sometimes called "super bugs."


What could be the consequences of frequent use of antibiotics over a long period time?

Taking antibiotics for colds and other viral illnesses not only won't work, but it also has a dangerous side effect: over time, this practice helps create bacteria that have become more of a challenge to kill. Frequent and inappropriate use of antibiotics selects for strains of bacteria that can resist treatment. This is called bacterial resistance. These resistant bacteria require higher doses of medicine or stronger antibiotics to treat. Doctors have even found bacteria that are resistant to some of the most powerful antibiotics available today. Antibiotic resistance is a widespread problem, and one that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "one of the world's most pressing public health problems." Bacteria that were once highly responsive to antibiotics have become increasingly resistant. Among those that are becoming harder to treat are pneumococcal infections (which cause pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and meningitis), skin infections, and tuberculosis. Source: http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/antibiotic_overuse.html


What type of medication causes the death of bacteria?

Antibiotics are medications that kill bacteria.


Why should doctors be discouraged from prescribing antibiotics every time their patients feel ill?

Because using antibiotics too much can cause microbes to mutate become resistant to the medication.


Why should the use of anitbiotics be restricted?

well to me they should be restricted because taking medications is really unhealthy for you. And who does it benefit? Not you, not me, the doctor. The more he or she prescribes the more money they get. Excessive use of antibiotics favors the quicker development of antibiotic-resistant strains of of bacteria. Bacterial pathogens that are resistant to multiple antibiotics cause infections that are extremely difficult to treat effectively.


Can antibiotics cause uti?

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are caused by bacteria. Antibiotics kill bacterial infections, not cause them. Antibiotics are used to treat UTIs, and in no way can cause them, since they kill bacteria that cause the infection to begin with.


How does bacteria change their genetic information to become resistant to antibiotics?

Genetic mutations in the bacteria can cause them to become resistant to particular kinds of medication. As the reproduction rate of bacteria is so high, even just one bacteria with the gene that causes resistance can quickly multiply to become a strain of bacteria which are all resistant.


Why should antibiotics not be over used explain in brief?

Frequent use of antibiotics can cause bacterial resistance. When bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic more than once, it can start to become immune to it. Antibiotics can also cause birth defects and other health problems. Soap and hot water works just as effectively.


What is the main cause of the increase in the numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria in hospitals?

so the bacteria wont spread. since we have the scinece and technology for it, they decided to make it useful by putting time and energy towards the increased production of those antibiotics. also to make it healthier ad safer, as well as easier and quicker to fight and cure diseases.