Antibiotic therapy is a way of fighting diseases caused by microorganisms. Introducing it to medicine was a great breakthrough in medicine. Unfortunately, due to the overuse of antibiotics, bacteria become resistant to them, and therefore the effectiveness of treatment decreases. For this reason, it is necessary to rationally use antibiotics and to constantly work on new drugs.

Antibiotic therapyis a method of treating infections with the use of antibiotics, i.e. substances with activity against microorganisms. It is primarily about bacteria, although some of them also have antiprotozoal properties.

At the beginning, this group included compounds of biological origin produced by bacteria and simple fungi. Currently, antibiotics also include semi-synthetic and synthetic drugs.

Substances used during antibiotic therapy work by killing or inhibiting the multiplication of bacteria. This method is only effective against diseases caused by these microorganisms. Therefore, the use of antibiotics during viral infections, such as influenza, for example, is ineffective. Such improper treatment may even worsen the patient's condition due to the toxicity of the substances ingested.

The word "antibiotic" comes from Greek and means "opposing life". This name describes the function of these substances in nature. Various microorganisms produce toxic chemicals to fight competition. They are precisely antibiotics, i.e. substances directed against the life of bacteria or protozoa. Man uses the existence of these chemicals in antibiotic therapy to heal infections.

Antibiotic therapy - early days

Antibiotic therapy has been a method that has been used for centuries. Mankind used the therapeutic activity of substances produced by fungi against bacteria. Interestingly, scientists from that time did not have any knowledge about the existence of microorganisms.

An example of such therapeutic practice is the use of tetracycline-containing beer in ancient Nubia around 350-500 BC. Also, the folk method of using moldy bread to dress wounds has its basis in the antibiotic activity of mold products.

Firstthe scientist who directly documented the use of mold fungi to treat infections was John Parkinson (1567-1650).

Antibiotic therapy. The discovery of penicillin - the beginning of modern antibiotic therapy

Modern antibiotic therapy began in 1928 with the discovery of penicillin by Fleming. The scientist noticed that a mold fungus that had grown accidentally in a laboratory dish caused the inhibition of the multiplication of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. In later years, the researcher managed to isolate the active substance responsible for this phenomenon. It was called penicillin and it was introduced into medicine as the first antibiotic. However, this only happened in the 1940s, because the crystallization of the pure active substance was an extremely time-consuming process for scientists.

Sam Fleming claimed: "It was nature that produced penicillin, I only discovered it"

All the antibiotics introduced at the beginning were substances that occur naturally in nature. In the first decades, after their discovery, they were considered miracle drugs that would solve the problem of bacterial infections forever. Their effectiveness and accessibility have also led to their abuse.

In the sixties it turned out that microorganisms can gain resistance to the action of antibiotics. From that moment on, the fight against the problem of antibiotic resistance began.

Antibiotic therapy - what is it?

Antibiotic therapy is used to treat or prevent bacterial infections. Sometimes it is also used in the fight against protozoa.

Starting antibiotic therapy requires a judicious decision made by your doctor. You should never take antibiotics on your own, e.g. ending up old packages of medicines after a recent illness.

In most cases, drug selection is based on the patient's symptoms, without careful laboratory testing to determine the type of infection.

In such a situation, the doctor usually prescribes a broad-spectrum antibiotic, i.e. one that is active against many different strains of bacteria. This type of antibiotic therapy is calledempirical therapy , due to the fact that it is based on visible symptoms.

The most effective treatment, however, is possible after appropriate laboratory tests showing the type of microorganism causing the infection. Such tests are usually performed for relapsing diseases. In such cases, the doctor prescribes a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, i.e. one that is only active against certain bacteria.

Such identification of the pathogen is extremely important as it helps to reduce the cost and toxicity of antibiotic therapy. Another advantage of this approach is that it reduces the risk of drug resistance emergence.

Prophylactic antibiotic therapy

There are situations where antibiotics are used as a preventative measure. However, these drugs are toxic to a large extent, therefore the use of antibiotics as a form of prophylaxis against bacterial infections is avoided.

Another problem with such therapy is the high risk of resistance emergence.

Usually, antibiotics are only given as a preventative measure for high-risk groups, such as people with a weak immune system. An example would be the prevention of pneumonia in people with HIV.

Antibiotic therapy is also used prophylactically in surgery to avoid infections. This approach is also practiced in dentistry, due to the risk of bacteria entering the bloodstream. The occurrence of such a situation may lead to infectious endocarditis.

Antibiotic therapy - drug administration routes

There are many different ways to administer antibiotics. Most often, these drugs are taken orally. In more severe cases, especially in systemic infections, these substances can be injected.

Antibiotic therapy can also be used topically, when the area of ​​infection allows easy access, allowing for the application of the medicinal substance. We refer to topical application in the case of eye drops used during conjunctivitis. The antibiotic is also instilled locally in the ear in case of its infection.

Topical antibiotic therapy is also one of the treatment options for certain skin conditions. A good example of such a bacterial disease is popular acne. It can also be treated with oral antibiotics, but topical application is less burdensome for the body.

The advantage of using a topical antibiotic is obtaining a high and permanent concentration of the therapeutic substance at the site of infection. At the same time, the systemic toxicity is reduced, which means that the drug does not burden he althy tissues.

There are, however, some disadvantages to this form of therapy. The antibiotic in this form of administration is difficult to dose accurately, which can lead to the patient using too high or too little doses of the drug. There is also a risk of local hypersensitivity reactions or contact dermatitis.

Disadvantages of antibiotic therapy

A common problem relatedwith the use of antibiotic therapy is diarrhea. It is a consequence of the disturbance of the species composition of the intestinal flora, i.e. probiotic bacteria inhabiting our digestive system. An example of this is the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium difficile. Antibiotic therapy can also negatively affect the vaginal flora. As a consequence, there are intimate infections caused by the overgrowth of yeast of the genus Candida.

The method of preventing this type of problems related to antibiotic therapy is the prophylactic use of probiotic preparations. They contain beneficial bacteria that complement the damage caused by antibiotics.

Treatment side effects may also reflect the individual pharmacological or toxicological properties of the antibiotic used. There is also the possibility of problems related to the individual characteristics of the patient. It is about the consequences of the therapy, such as hypersensitivity and allergic reactions.

The most important side effects associated with antibiotic therapy are:

  • nausea
  • fever
  • allergic reactions
  • photosensitization (light-induced toxic reaction to antibiotics)
  • anafileksja
About the authorSara Janowska, MA in pharmacyPhD student of interdisciplinary doctoral studies in the field of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences at the Medical University of Lublin and the Institute of Biotechnology in Białystok. A graduate of pharmaceutical studies at the Medical University of Lublin with a specialization in Plant Medicine. She obtained a master's degree defending a thesis in the field of pharmaceutical botany on the antioxidant properties of extracts obtained from twenty species of mosses. Currently, in his research work, he deals with the synthesis of new anti-cancer substances and the study of their properties on cancer cell lines. For two years she worked as a master of pharmacy in an open pharmacy.

Read more articles by this author

Category:

He alth