Antibiotics, antibacterial agents that inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in a host and kill them, were introduced into medicine in the mid-1900s with the expectation of curing all bacterial infections. Penicillin seemed to be the magic remedy that destroyed bacteria. Unfortunately, in the 1960s Kislak and others discovered that a strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae was resistant to penicillin. From then on, it was discovered that more bacteria were demonstrating resistance to antibiotics and their resistance increased in almost every country. Bacteria have demonstrated abilities to modify themselves to resist antibiotic action. Antibiotics are used to fight bacterial infections and are ineffective for viral infections.

This study finds that antibiotic resistance is a global and growing problem that is not counterbalanced by the development of new therapeutic agents. The prevalence of antibiotic resistance is particularly high in intensive care units with frequently reported outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms. This study provides an overview of selective oropharyngeal and digestive tract decontamination, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus decolonization, and antibiotic rotation as strategies to modulate antibiotic resistance in the intensive care unit (1).

Is there such a thing as an ideal antibiotic? The efficacy of all antibacterial agents is rapidly being eroded due to resistance. This viewpoint provides an overview of today's antibiotics, the challenges, and the potential pathway toward the discovery and development of new (ideal) antibiotics (2).

Another danger to human health is the unnecessary use of antibiotics, which is a widely recognized threat to global health, development, and sustainability (3).

Some commonly used antibiotics:

• ciprofloxacin
• streptomycin
• tetracycline
• levofloxacin
• fluoroquinolones
• aminoglycosides
• beta-lactams

References_________________________________________________________________

(1) Plantinga NL, Wittekamp BH, van Duijn PJ, Bonten MJ. Fighting antibiotic resistance in the intensive care unit using antibiotics. Future Microbiol. 2015;10(3):391-406. doi: 10.2217/fmb.14.146. 

(2) Singh SB, Young K, Silver LL. What is an "ideal" antibiotic? Discovery challenges and path forward. Biochem Pharmacol. 2017 Jun 1;133:63-73. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2017.01.003.

(3) Machowska A, Stålsby Lundborg C. Drivers of Irrational Use of Antibiotics in Europe. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Dec 23;16(1):27. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16010027.