It is one of the most important health problems worldwide. Antibiotic resistance. Bacteria become strong and the responsibility lies with the misuse and abuse of antibiotics.

Every year the Global Antibiotic Awareness Week. The World Health Organisation considers that outreach on this issue is essential as there is a growing awareness of the problem.The threat of microbial resistance and, at the same time, fewer antibiotics available or research to develop them.

It is true that bacterial drug resistance is a natural and evolutionary phenomenon; the most resistant micro-organisms do not die when exposed to an antimicrobial and can pass this resistance on to their offspring. But if this is a normal phenomenon, why has it become a global health problem? The answer has to do with misuse, overuse and underuse of antibiotics.

The World Health Organization appeals to the responsibility of patients, prescribers, the pharmaceutical industry and the public administrations themselves. In fact, in Spain, the consumption of antibiotics for human use has been reduced by more than 7 percent since 2013, and by more than 30 percent for animal treatment. This is the result of the implementation of a series of measures within the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance.

The WHO recognises that there are other factors, such as the use of sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics to promote animal growth in animal husbandry. This can lead to the growth of resistant micro-organisms that are transferred to humans. Deficiencies in the prevention and control of the spread of infections are also a decisive factor.

How does this resistance affect us? In Spain, around 3,000 people die every year from resistant bacterial infections. The WHO published in 2017 the first list of resistant bacteria and ranked them according to the urgency of finding new medicines.

As the international agency explains, "the critical priority group includes multidrug-resistant bacteria that are especially dangerous in hospitals, nursing homes and among patients who need to be cared for with devices such as ventilators and intravenous catheters. Such bacteria include the following: Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and various Enterobacteriaceae such as Klebsiella, E. coli, Serratia, y Proteus".. These are bacteria that can cause serious infections, such as bloodstream infections and pneumonias.

Bacteria that offer increasing "drug resistance" and cause common diseases such as gonorrhoea or salmonella food poisoning"are placed between the second and third degrees of priority.

What can we do to keep resistant bacteria away?

• The most widespread, and very important, advice is to washing handsespecially after touching meat or fish. It is also advisable to wash vegetables thoroughly when they are to be eaten raw. Antibiotics are used in livestock farming and could pass through excrement into crops and water, spreading the presence of resistant bacteria.
• Antibiotics should only be used for the treatment of bacterial infections. They are totally ineffective against cold or flu viruses and overuse can lead to this resistance.
• Antibiotic treatments should not be interrupted even if we are feeling better.. If some bacteria survive, they can re-infect us.
• Antibiotics should only be taken for the time at which they are prescribed and it is not advisable to save them or to take antibiotics that have been prescribed for other people.

In 2014, a report was published which predicted that around 10 million deaths per year due to bacterial resistance. At Biosalud Day Hospital we develop tintegrative medicine treatmentsWe combine the conventional medicine with biological medicine for the treatment of pathologies such as Lyme diseaseThe main concern is the side effects of such medicines on the intestine, among others.

Side effects of antibiotic use

Antibiotics, even when properly administered, can have negative consequences on our health: while they kill bacteria, destroy our intestinal flora. The microbiota is essential for the functioning of the intestinal tract and the maturation of the autoimmune and nervous systems.

Antibiotics kill good bacteria and disrupt the bacterial balance in the gut, which can lead in the medium term to obesity, inflammatory bowel syndrome and other pathologies. However, not all antibiotics have the same effects, nor do they have the same duration.

In addition to the importance of food in balancing the microbiotaIf you have a healthy bowel, it will be up to the medical specialist to prescribe a treatment that will allow you to regain your intestinal health.