ANTIBIOTICS explained

BY Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha

Antibiotics have been around for so long that most of us take them for granted. When it comes to treating infections, your doctor has to make an important decision – whether the germs causing an infection are bacteria or viruses. If they are bacteria, antibiotics are usually effective.

If on the other hand, the problem is a viral infection, antibiotics won’t have any effect on these germs and your doctor may recommend other medicines instead. These drugs won’t wipe out the germs but will relieve your symptoms until the body’s natural defences overcome the infection.

Antibiotics work by attacking bacteria so that the body’s immune system can more effectively destroy them. Different types of antibiotics breach the defences on the surface of the bacterial cell so that the immune system has a chance to attack it.

Different types of antibiotics have diverse properties and therefore, are useful for various types of infections. An antibiotic that’s very effective against one type of bacterium may not have any effect on another.

Bacteria are organisms that can live on their own and are susceptible to attack by antibiotics. In contrast, viruses grow by entering other living cells and are protected from attack by antibiotics.

Many common infections such as colds, the flu and sore throats are caused by viruses – not bacteria.

Other infections such as gastroenteritis and bronchitis can be caused by both viruses and bacteria. Both conditions caused by viruses are more common than those that have bacteria at their root.

Antibiotics are not the cure for all infections even though drug companies that manufacture them would like us to believe so. Viral infections are not affected by antibiotics and even some bacterial infections don’t always respond to antibiotics alone.

This can happen if the patient’s immune system is in poor shape or the infection is located around a foreign object of nonhuman material such as an artificial heart valve or bladder catheter.

Another reason for infections not responding to antibiotics is when a patient has diabetes or if the bacteria have developed resistance to the particular antibiotic used.

All medicines have side effects and what your doctor does when he or she prescribes antibiotics is to make a decision whether the benefits of antibiotics outweigh the adverse effects.

Common side effects include vomiting, rashes, cramping, stomach pains and diarrhoea. Rarer conditions include breathing difficulties and allergies.

Bacteria can grow accustomed to antibiotics through the excessive use of inappropriate antibiotics as well as discontinuing a course of medication before all the bacteria are destroyed. When bacteria become resistant to a particular antibiotic, they won’t work when taken to treat a subsequent infection caused by the same germ.

So if antibiotics aren’t effective in the case of viral infections such as a cold or sore throat, what can you do?

You should get plenty of rest, drink a lot of fluids and take the other medicines that your doctor may prescribe to help relieve the symptoms.