Lifestyle and Diet
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy in Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Besides the side effects of drugs, antibiotic resistance is now a problem for the treatment of many infectious diseases. Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of an antibiotic due to the overuse of this antibiotic previously. In many countries, especially in developing countries, antibiotics are unregulated and available over the counter without a prescription. This lack of control promotes the overuse of antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics clearly drives the evolution of resistant bacteria. Incorrectly prescribed antibiotics also contribute to the promotion of antibiotic resistance (3, 152). Moreover, antibiotics are widely used as growth supplements in livestock. The antibiotics used in livestock are ingested by humans when they consume food, thereby, causing passive antibiotic resistance in humans. Antibiotic-resistant infections can be grave health problems that need to be resolved rapidly.
Infectious Diseases
Lyle D. Broemeling in Bayesian Analysis of Infectious Diseases, 2021
Certain antibiotics such as penicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline are very effective against bacterial infections. The designation “antibiotic” is based on the concept of antibiosis, or the use of substances made by one living thing to kill another. Antibiotics are made by bacteria and molds that are specially cultured by commercial drug laboratories. Antibiotics kill bacteria and other disease organisms in a variety of ways. For example, some destroy cell walls, while others interfere with the multiplication of bacteria or fatally alter the way the bacteria manufacture vital proteins. Still others mix up the genetic plan of the bacteria. Ordinarily, an antibiotic tricks bacteria into using the antibiotic’s chemicals instead of closely related ones that organisms really need for making the key enzymes required for their growth and reproduction. With the antibiotic assimilated into their systems, instead of vital chemicals, an essential activity or structure of the pathogens is lacking and they die.
Nosocomial Pneumonia in the Critical Care Unit
Cheston B. Cunha, Burke A. Cunha in Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship in Critical Care Medicine, 2020
Ideal candidates for specific anti-P. aeruginosa combination therapy include cefepime and meropenem in combination with levofloxacin, aztreonam, or amikacin. Antibiotics that should not be avoided, if possible, in a combination regimen include ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, and gentamicin. It is a common clinical misconception that resistance can be prevented by using combination antibiotic therapy, but this is not the case. This is true for only a few antibiotics, e.g., TB therapy, but is not a general concept. For example, the addition of “high resistance potential” antibiotic of any anti-pseudomonal drug to a regimen containing ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, or gentamicin does not prevent the emergence of P. aeruginosa resistance. The only proven way to prevent the emergence of resistance in the CCU and in the hospital is at the formulary level, by eliminating or restricting from the formulary “high resistance potential” antibiotics that are known to be associated with resistance problems, i.e., ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, and imipenem. Resistance problems can be minimized, and the clonal spread of resistant strains can be contained by effective infection-control measures [2,6,31].
Efficacy and effectiveness of the herbal medicinal product BNO 1016 in the management of acute rhinosinusitis in the context of antibiotic stewardship
Published in Postgraduate Medicine, 2023
Claudia B. Bittner, Hubert Steindl, Dimitri Abramov-Sommariva, Michael Plach, Christoph Abels, Claus Bachert
To promote the reasonable use of antibiotics and limit unnecessary overuse, the European Commission has issued guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in human health [36]. Overuse of antibiotics can be highly problematic. It leads to an increase in antimicrobial resistances [37], which are, as recently published, associated with or the direct cause of nearly 700,000 deaths in Europe in 2019 [38]. In addition, frequent use of antibiotics can also be directly detrimental to patients by compromising the gut microbiota [39], which may promote the development and aggravation of disease [40]. Our retrospective cohort study indeed showed that treatment with antibiotics often led to higher risks for adverse outcomes in ARS. With the new results, BNO 1016 as a herbal treatment alternative has the potential to further reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in ARS.
Antimicrobial activity of flavonoids glycosides and pyrrolizidine alkaloids from propolis of Scaptotrigona aff. postica
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2023
T. M. Cantero, P. I. Silva Junior, G. Negri, R. M. Nascimento, R. Z. Mendonça
Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change its response to antibiotics. Microbial resistance is a growing threat to the effective treatment of an increasing range of infections, caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Since the early 2000s, research for new antibacterial drug, become a long and slow process, characterized by longer development times and lower success rates for investigational drugs (Dheman et al. 2020, Ndagi et al. 2020). Generally, there are not observed differences in antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activity of propolis from distinct geographic origins, including Brazilian samples from A. mellifera and stingless bees (Sanches et al. 2017). The ability of propolis to inhibit the growth of microorganisms, is attributed to its bactericidal and fungicidal functions essential to preserving life in the hive. Ethanolic extract of Spanish propolis containing high amounts of polyphenols exhibited antimicrobial properties (Fernández-Calderón et al. 2020).
The war against bacteria, from the past to present and beyond
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2022
Lucrezia Bottalico, Ioannis Alexandros Charitos, Maria Assunta Potenza, Monica Montagnani, Luigi Santacroce
While definitive therapy depends on the microbiologic diagnosis by isolation, empirical therapy should be based on a clinical diagnosis combined with literature evidence and physician experience. Empirical use of antibiotics should be justified in patients with life threatening infections, in ICU settings and while awaiting results of culture. To optimize an accurate microbiological diagnosis, clinicians should ensure that properly obtained specimens are promptly submitted to the microbiology laboratory. Antibiotics work by eliminating the majority of bacteria while allowing the immune system to handle the remaining germs. Besides choosing the right antibiotics (based on their activity spectrum and mode of action), the proper duration of the correct antibiotic therapy is a priority, since not finishing the full course increases the likelihood of recurrence, and also promotes the development of drug resistance. This is particularly relevant when considering the bactericidal or bacteriostatic nature of the antimicrobial agent used. Concomitantly, factors affecting antibiotic activity such as poor bioavailability for incorrect route of administration, renal excretion, other drugs’ interactions, and allergy must be considered before prescribing the chosen antibiotic, to avoid or limit long-term toxicities in specific patients. Therefore, antibiotic therapy should be reevaluated in order to escalate or deescalate doses according to the efficacy achieved and to increased risk of side effects.
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