Bacteria mutate when given a chance and become resistant to the antibiotics they are subjected to during the course of treatment. As a result, those antibiotics become ineffective in waging the war against illnesses caused by such bacteria.
For all the hysteria surrounding the Ebola virus, Marburg and Lassa fever, and other media-touted infectious diseases, public health is more at risk from some common emerging infections such as tuberculosis, staph and streptococcus.
In the 1800s, our only treatment for patients with tuberculosis was to isolate them in fresh-air environments. But we did find drugs, and we used them - and perhaps overused them. Now we are seeing new multiple-drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis. Now we are often pushed into a position in which we have to use the nontherapies of the past. As a result, Texas is now quarantining patients because we have few other options in regard to multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis. This could be a harbinger of the future for bacteria such as staph, strep and E. coli.
The way out of our dilemma is not always new and high-powered antibiotics. Bacteria are ``smart'' enough to get around those medications. In other words, they will outrun us. The answer requires diligence on the part of both physician and patient. Here are some strategies:
* Antibiotics should not be prescribed when they are not needed. Time and rest are two of the most important factors in overcoming many illnesses. For certain infections, such as the common cold, the body frequently can heal itself. When in doubt, seek medical advice. This treatment requires that physician and patient should be more willing to wait out an illness than to prescribe or ask for antibiotics so quickly.
