Chronic Misuse of Topical Antibiotics in Wounds Creates Super Bugs
An antibiotic is a compound that kills, or inhibits the growth of, bacteria. Antibiotics can be taken internally (via injection, IV or mouth) to fight local and systemic infection, and applied topically (via spray, cream or ointment) to fight infection of localized wounds. While antibiotics were exceptionally effective initially, strains of bacteria have become immune to many antibiotics in modern times, rendering them less useful in treating infection. The overuse of antibiotics has been a significant cause of this decrease in effectiveness, and the misuse of topical antibiotics is as serious as the misuse of any other antibiotics.
Topical antibiotics are applied to the skin to kill bacteria in various types of wounds and sores. Many antibiotics are available over the counter, without a doctor’s prescription; some popular anti-biotic creams, ointments, and sprays include Neosporin, Bacitracin, and Mupirocin. These medications can be effective in killing germs and helping to prevent infection. However, the overuse, and misuse, of topical antibiotics has begun a war between mankind and bacteria, with the bacteria becoming resistant to our antibiotics because of overexposure. This bacterial resistance necessitates the development of stronger antibiotics, which are often doctor prescribed. Now, even these antibiotics are becoming resistant, making it more difficult for modern medicine to treat bacterial infections in open wounds.
One way that people misuse topical antibiotics is by using them without the advice of a doctor. Thus, topical antibiotics are sometimes used when not really needed, exposing bacteria to the antibiotic unnecessarily. Antibiotics are also misused even when a patient does receive medical advice to use an antibiotic; this happens if a patient does not continue to use the antibiotic as prescribed, failing to complete the full regimen. This type of misuse allows the bacteria an opportunity to resist the antibiotic; failing to use an antibiotic as prescribed can weaken the bacteria, but if the medication is discontinued before the bacteria is fully killed, then it can rebound, now stronger, and resistant to that antibiotic. This is how we create so called, “super bugs” - resistant strains of bacteria. The now resistant super bug spreads and reproduces, off to infect other wounds, where they will be harder to treat due to their new found resistance.
In the mid to late twentieth century, medical science was able to keep up with these super bugs, creating ever stronger antibiotics to kill them. However, in the twenty-first century this is becoming more difficult, and science is beginning to find it almost impossible to treat some severely resistant strains of bacteria. Perhaps the most difficult part of this scenario to understand is that often we are creating these super bugs when we do not even need to. This means, many wounds that are treated with topical antibiotics, the overuse of which creates these resistant bacterial strains, did not even need antibiotics in the first place.
Most surface wounds do not require the use of topical antibiotics. In most healthy people surgical incisions, cuts, scrapes, ulcers, and abrasions heal just fine on their own, as long as they are cleaned, then kept protected from the environment. Topical antibiotics only need to be used if a doctor recommends it, or if a wound becomes infected. In fact, most of the time topical antibiotics are ineffective in treating sores, because they can only kill the bacteria that they actually touch. Many bacteria can be just beneath the surface, inside the wound, or under the scab, and thus, out of reach of the effects of antibiotics.
For most common wounds, it is best not to treat them with antibiotics. However, it is still important to keep the wound clean and protected. Cleaning with simple soap and water, or a sterile saline solution, then bandaging, is often effective. Another great choice is a non-antibiotic, hypoallergenic gel such as Wound-Be-Gone. This gel coats surface wounds, sealing out harmful bacteria and infection, without an antibiotic, and without the possibility of creating resistant bacteria. Even better than simple cleaning and a bandage, Wound-Be-Gone also helps speed healing, through providing the perfect, moist environment for cuts to heal within.
As bacteria in our world become more antibiotic resistant, infections of surface wounds will become more common, and more difficult to treat; these infected wounds might require treatment with oral antibiotics. Eventually, humans will become more immune to oral antibiotics, culminating in a world where a simple skin wound can become infected, then turn in to an untreatable systemic bacterial infection. To prevent the development to these superbugs, every person needs to use antibiotics responsibly, including over the counter topical antibiotics, remembering that for most wounds, cleaning and protection is all that is needed to facilitate effective healing.
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