Remember that antibiotics do not work against viral colds and the flu, and that unnecessary antibiotics can be harmful. Talk with your healthcare provider about antibiotics and find out about the differences between viruses and bacteria, and when antibiotics should and should not be used. If your child receives an antibiotic, be sure to give it exactly as prescribed to decrease the development of resistant bacteria.
Have your child finish the entire prescription. Don't stop when the symptoms of infection go away. Never save the left over antibiotics to use "just in case. Do not share your antibiotics with someone else or take an antibiotic that was prescribed for someone else. Remember that taking antibiotics appropriately and making sure your child receives the proper immunizations will help prevent having to take more dangerous and more costly medicines.
Talk with your healthcare provider for more information. Health Home Wellness and Prevention. There are 2 main types of germs that cause most infections. Buy or subscribe. Access options Access through your institution. Change institution. Rent or Buy article Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.
References 1. Article Google Scholar 2. PubMed Article Google Scholar 3. PubMed Article Google Scholar 4. PubMed Article Google Scholar 5. PubMed Article Google Scholar 6. Additional precautions may include:. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can also be passed from person to person within the community. This is becoming more common.
Ways to prevent transmission of organisms, including antibiotic resistant bacteria, are:. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Anthrax is a rare but potentially fatal bacterial disease that occasionally infects humans. The Western obsession with cleanliness may be partly responsible for the increase in allergic asthma and conditions such as rhinitis. Aspergillus is a fungus that commonly grows on rotting vegetation.
It can cause asthma symptoms. The simplest form of prevention for lyssavirus is to avoid close contact with bats. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.
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Skip to main content. Home Infections. Antibiotic resistant bacteria. Infection with pathogenic bacteria can happen following an injury, when common external bacteria enter the human body through the bloodstream, or by contamination with unfriendly microorganisms that produce toxic by-products, as in many cases of food poisoning.
Antibiotics do not usually affect human cells, which is why we can ingest them safely for use as a medicine. However, like all medicines, some people may react or have side-effects from antibiotics as well.
Some antibiotics attack a wide range of bacteria broad-spectrum antibiotics , while researchers develop others to only attack specific pathogenic strains narrow-spectrum antibiotics.
There are antibiotics that work only against bacteria that need oxygen aerobic and others that work against bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen anaerobic. When you swallow an antibiotic pill or liquid, it enters your digestive tract and is absorbed into the blood stream just as nutrients are from food. From there, it circulates throughout the body, soon reaching its target area, where pathogenic bacteria are causing an infection.
In some situations, such as when an infection is especially severe, physicians might administer antibiotics via injection intravenously, directly into the bloodstream. With certain skin infections, the most effective way to get the antibiotic to the pathogenic organisms quickly is to apply it directly to the infection as a topical cream or ointment. Your physician chooses a particular antibiotic and its route of administration based on a number of factors, such as the exact type and extent of infection.
It is sometimes necessary to have a specimen analyzed at the laboratory to determine the exact species and strain of bacteria causing the infection. Your physician might also prescribe antibiotics before bowel surgery or another medical procedure that comes with a high risk of bacterial infection, which is a preventative prophylactic use of antibiotics. One of the common side-effects from taking antibiotics is loose bowel movements diarrhea , as the antibiotic disrupts the normal, healthy bacteria in your gut that are keeping you regular.
Your physician might recommend the use of probiotics following antibiotic treatment to help your body re-populate healthy strains of bacteria. If you find blood or mucus in your stool, or experience severe abdominal pain or cramping, you should follow up with your physician immediately to assess if there may be a secondary infection, such as C. See page When one antibiotic fails to eradicate an infection, your physician may have to move on to less conventional drugs, which might be more expensive or associated with more serious side-effects.
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