“Bad Bugs” – Article Summay

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In reading the article “Bad Bugs” I learned that bacteria can become immune to antibiotics. Antibiotic-immune bacteria have lived long before we did and they want to keep living, so they have gotten smarter. When an antibiotic drug is introduced to the body, bacteria begin to evolve and form a resistance to it Most of the cases of antimicrobial resistance occur in hospitals. Seventy percent of bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic. In the past couple of years drug-resistant diseases have been increasingly showing up in communities to people that haven’t gone to a hospital. This is because when a person takes an antibiotic it kills the sensitive germs, but some resistant bacteria stays to grow and reproduce. If a patient takes antibiotics incorrectly the bacteria have a greater chance to develop a resistance.

In reading the article “Antibacterial Debate” I learned that when you use soap with triclosan, the triscolan stays on your skin after you wash and provides an additional layer of hygienic protection. The soaps that contain triclosan are bactericidal because they can kill bacteria and they are also bacteriostatic because they can inhibit the growth or reproduction of bacteria. Plain soap is only bactericidal not bacteriostatic. Since not all bacteria disappear with alkaline hand wash. Ciba Irgasm is a big advantage because it works very well even at low concentrations and it can prevent strong growth of bacteria on skin for up to twelve hours.

I think the findings in these articles are valid regarding antibacterial resistance and there is scientific evidence to back it up. In the past three years,16 states have passed legislation to require public reporting of hospital infection data, and fourteen of those will publish numbers for each hospital in the state. In November, Pennsylvania released the nation’s first report on infection rates on a hospital-by-hospital basis, and Florida and Missouri have since produced similar reports. Right now ,infection-disclosure bills are being considered in 14 states.

Humans are being helped by antibiotics because it is a cure for a lot of diseases. Antibiotics kill bacteria in your body and help you become immune to the bacteria. The soaps help because they prevent bacteria and germs from spreading from your hands to other places.Humans are being harmed by antibiotics because if they take them when they’re not supposed to or if they take too much of them, the bacteria will only get stronger and will be more likely to develop a resistance.In the future I think the problem is going to be worse because physicians are prescribing antibiotics more freely so people are taking them when they don’t have to and as a result, the bacteria develops a resistance.

My opinion about these articles is that they are informative articles. I don’t think they should’ve stopped selling bacteriostatic soap because its so much better than regular soap and the reason people didn’t buy it is because they didn’t know how good it is. I didn’t even know about it and if I did, then I would buy it. I agree with the authors because it will eventually become a serious problem. It already is a problem and no one is really doing anything to fix it. This article will effect what consumers will buy because it didn’t really show that bacteriostatic soap is a lot better , so consumers will keep buying regular soap.

This new finding would affect society because if they would know about all this,they’ll stop overdosing and taking drugs when not prescribed. When there are more antiobiotics they want to sell them faster and it causes people to take too much.I think the best way to educate society about bad bugs and antibacterial resistance is to put up posters in pharmacies and to show it on television,on the news and on commercials.It should say on the boxes that antiobotics come in,not take too much and not to take them if not prescribed. It should also say on soap bottles a lttle bit about triclosan.

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