I asked myself this question while studying Biology for my A levels...

Well, we know that the reason why bacteria become immune to antibiotics of a certain type is because one of the millions of bacteria present in the body has an advantageous allele that allows that bacteria to be immune to that specific antibiotic. That superbacteria will then survive and be reproductively more successful than the rest (which die out)and thus producing a population of bacteria that is immune to the specific antibiotic (correct me if I got my terminologies wrong here..)

And so my A levels syllabus emphasizes alot on why we need to prevent this from happening. Why we should prescribe antibiotics only when necessary and finish our doses etc. etc.

But what about other forms of medicine? I plan to become a pharmacist (though I have no idea how other drugs work-yet), so I'm interested in knowing why other medicine that are used to treat bacterial infections will eventually be irrelevant since the bacteria will soon evolve to be immune to it...or will they?

And if they don't evolve to adapt to the effects of the other medicine, why?



Thanks a bunch.

You are right about the "survival of the fittest" concept applied to the bacteria when a specific antibiotics is applied Its all about that particular antiobiotic resistant gene within the bacterial cells (which can be transferred from one to another iinm).
It is because of this that many researches are being conducted in search for other types of antibiotics from many different sources, particularly from fungi etc.

As for those "other medicine" use to treat bacterial infections? Are there any? Aren't all of them antibiotics?

whats iinm?

Thanks for replying.


I'm actually quite noob in terms of medical knowledge tbh. So I'll try to come up with an example from daily life.


Clarinase I think it was called is used to treat a flu. So since my doc gives me antibiotics to treat a flu too...

Honestly unsure. (my lecturer told me that the doc shouldn't be giving antibiotics so easily like this though)

iinm - If I'm not mistaken

I am also a noob in this since I'm not even studying medical stuffs
I've just Googled up Clarinase, and subsequently Pseudoephedrine and Loratadine... these medicines are prescribed for those with flu (you are right about that one), but they function as stimulants for dis-congestion only it seems, doesn't relate to killing the bacteria at all

Antibiotics are powerful medicines, which is why Doctors (both knowledgeable and non-knowledgeable) often prescribe them to kill off everything (including good bacteria in your system)

because the others are not aetiological treatment. they are symptomatic treatment. they affect the human body, not the aetiology which in your case is the bacteria.

duh

/

lol thanks guys.

It was a genuine question because I have barely any idea how the other drugs worked. Only thing in my syllabus (as of where I'ma t right now) is antibiotics.