what are antibiotics?
... positive bacteria Wall synthesis Polymyxin B Bacillus polymyxa Gram-negative bacteria Cell membrane Amphotericin B Streptomyces nodosus Fungi Cell membrane Erythromycin Streptomyces erythreus Gram positive bacteria Protein synthesis Neomycin Streptomyces fradiae Broad spectrum Protein synthesis Streptomycin Streptomyces griseus Gram negative bacteria Protein synthesis Tetracycline Streptomyces rimosus Broad spectrum Protein Synthesis Vancomycin Strptomyces orientalis Gram positive bacteria Protein synthesis Gentamicin Micromonospora purpurea Broad spectrum Protein synthesis Rifamycin Streptomyces mediterranei Tuberculosis Protein synthesis However, although we have all these different antibiotics available, a new problem called Antibiotic Resistance (i.e.: the super bug) is arising. Antibiotic resistance is becoming a common phenomenon. This problem was recognized soon after penicillin was introduced for disease control. It occurs when a member of the bacterial population genetically gains the ability to be able to destroy the antibiotic if it is exposed to it for long periods of time. This one cell will be able to make sure that the bacteria isn’t killed by dividing itself (as often as every 20 minutes in some cases) and producing a new population of the same bacteria which is now no longer affected by the drug. Due to this, certain strains of bacteria can only be killed by one type of antibiotic, causing scientist to have to resort to laboratory created and enhanced antibiotics. This same problem is highlighted by David Bell, MD, antimicrobial resistance coordinator at the Centres For Disease Control and Prevention: "We actually are facing an unprecedented problem in terms of drug resistance. Just about every important human infection is becoming resistant to the drugs of choice used to treat it, all at once, all over the world," This problem is further aggravated by the fact that it does not only affect humans. One of the biggest public debates at the present concerns the use of antibiotics in agriculture and veterinary practice. Due to the repeated use of antibiotics, animals can also create resistance which can then be passed onto humans (when we eat their meat etc.) The greatest concern in this area is the use of antibiotics as feed additives to farm animals used to promote growth and prevent infections instead of curing them. It is not possible to attain exact figures for the amounts of antibiotics used in this way but below you will see a table with estimates on the figures of the total usage of different types of antibiotics for humans on animals: Usage (Kilograms of active ingredient) Usage (Kilograms of active Ingredient) Type of Antibiotic Animal Human Cephalosporins 121,603 314,498 Tetracyclines 323,151 47,500 Aminoglycosides 37,058 5,409 Macrolides 71,222 47,696 Apart from the animals creating resistance, there is also a potential danger for any humans who eat this meat as it will still contain traces of antibiotics and when digested by humans will eventually make the consumers resistant to the antibiotics they have digested by eating the “contaminated” meat. Concerning its impacts on Crops, the concern remains the same. Most of the companies insert antibiotic-resistance genes during the early stages of developing their Genetically Modified crops. This enables the plant to become resistant to any harmful bacteria. The antibiotic-resistance genes are used for this sole purpose and are not removed when the plants are harvested, meaning that when they arrive in the open market, they are still containing the antibiotics, thus meaning that people who buy these crops will be exposed to dangerous chemicals able to severely poison the human body. Again, like the animals, there is the problem of resistance. Due to the misuses of these products, plants become resistant to these antibiotics, meaning that more and more have to be used in order to prevent bacteria from attacking the crops. On the whole, this is a very controversial subject. There are those who consider antibiotics to be a “god send” medicine that should be used whenever possible in both animals and humans. Mr Keeling (a farmer in support of the use of antibiotics) is one of those people as can be seen with his statement, "Restricting the use of [antibiotics in animals] jeopardizes animal health, and, we think, food safety,” But there are also those who show themselves to be extremely worried with the consequences the misuse ...