Importance of bacterial resistance: the Azithromycin case

Azithromycin is an antibiotic that is losing effectiveness. Since their appearance in the 1940s, antibiotics have been an important work tool in the day-to-day medical practice. There are many lives that have been saved when they are used properly, however their misuse has led to an increase in the number of antibiotics that are no longer useful due to the phenomenon known as Bacterial Resistance, which leads to the persistence of the infection, which can cause serious complications or even death, and can also be transmitted to other people.

Antibiotics exert their pharmacological effect by three main mechanisms: preventing the replication of the bacteria, weaken the wall or membrane that covers them or affect the production of substances necessary for their survival. Bacteria are microorganisms with a great capacity for adaptation that allows them to mutate their genes to become resistant to the action of a certain antibiotic, this resistance can be transmitted from one bacterium to another which increases the impact of this freak. Resistant bacteria are able to prevent the arrival of the drug to the site where it will exert its effect, modify the target of its action so that it cannot fulfill its function or produce chemicals called enzymes that inactivate the antibiotic, even some bacteria are capable of developing several of these mechanisms against one or more antibiotics.

One of the most prescribed antibiotics today is Azithromycin, developed in 1980 and marketed since 1991. Its main uses are in the treatment of upper respiratory infections, especially in children, exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and some infections of the genital tract and urinary. Given the high incidence of respiratory infections in the population In general, its prescription has been increasing, however its unnecessary use in viral infections has caused cases of resistance to this drug to appear. Many times this phenomenon is due to the pressure exerted by patients on their treating physician, who often visit another specialist to prescribe antibiotics.

Most respiratory infections are caused by viruses, these agents cause symptoms characterized by fever, general malaise, nasal congestion, discharge runny nose and muscle pain, in the face of these symptoms the initial treatment should be symptomatic accompanied by rest and isolation to avoid other infections in the environment of the hospital. patient, antibiotics should only be prescribed when there is evidence of a bacterial infection, which can be determined with the help of laboratory studies such as hematology.

How to prevent Bacterial Resistance?

It is necessary to preserve the antibiotics that we have and do everything possible to avoid bacterial resistance, in In this sense, doctors and patients must work together, for which we must adopt the measures set forth below. continuation.

• The doctor must treat the infections, not the contaminations or colonizations, having to take the necessary actions to identify the germ and not limit himself to empirical treatment.

• Emphasis should be placed on safety measures prevention such as vaccination, isolation of people with contagious diseases, cleaning and wound care.

• Treatment with the antibiotic must be followed until healing and not only until symptoms are relieved, this is particularly important in the case of patients who often interrupt the prescribed antibiotic cycle when the fever or symptoms subside bothersome, it must be emphasized that the antibiotic must be followed for all the days it was prescribed, even if the symptoms disappear before

• Do not self-medicate, there are many different types of bacteria and each of them has a specific antibiotic, unfortunately we still see the great tendency of people to self-medicate antibiotics such as ampicillin or amoxicillin in the face of any viral picture or discomfort such as headache throat, for this reason the health authorities tend to control the sale of antibiotics and it is necessary to have a medical prescription to be able to supply them.

• The vast majority of respiratory infections are caused by viruses, especially the Influenza Virus, in these cases the antibiotics do not exert any type of action on these germs and do not shorten the duration of the symptoms. Given this fact, I have had the opportunity to jokingly hear the statement "Influenza lasts seven days with treatment and one week when no type of treatment".

Bacterial Resistance is a public health problem that affects us all, we have to do awareness about this fact and understand that the only way we can preserve the effectiveness of the antibiotics we have today is through their rational use, if If we don't take care of them, we will face a greater number of superbugs every day, against which we will be defenseless, which will not lead us to return to the era of the great epidemics.

Fotolia art: gritsalak