Living organisms are adaptable. They are able to develop defence mechanisms against enemies and competitors to ensure their own survival.

As a living organism, bacteria too can acquire defence mechanisms against antibiotics. This means that the antibiotics used to treat these bacteria become ineffective. As bacteria reproduce by cell division, these new defence mechanisms are transmitted to the next generation, and the generations thereafter.

Some bacteria are even able to transmit these properties to other types of bacteria, enabling several strains of bacteria to become immune. 1 in 3 strains of bacteria are currently resistant to conventional antibiotics. This immunity to antibiotics is called antibiotic resistance. Human beings themselves cannot become resistant to antibiotics.

Overuse and incorrect use of antibiotics are some of the main causes of antibiotic resistance. As is the unnecessary use of antibiotics, for example when prescribed for viral infections or to avoid secondary infections. Viruses are not living organisms, so they cannot be treated with antibiotics.

Instead of fighting bacteria through the measured and targeted use of antibiotics, they have been over prescribed for many years; often incorrectly and at random. An excessive desire for safety has resulted in antibiotics often being prescribed unnecessarily to justify the avoidance of secondary infections.

Here, patients too, are often at fault. They may pressure their GPs into prescribing antibiotics just before the weekend or a holiday, even though it may not be clear whether the infection is bacterial, and therefore can be treated with antibiotics.

But humans are not the only ones to be overusing antibiotics. Factory farming is also responsible for large-scale overuse. The high number of animals in confined spaces promotes the transmission of infections. Antibiotics are often mixed into the animal feed to avoid mass infections, and possible negative financial impact. Our subsequent consumption of these animals also enables resistant bacteria from meat-based products to enter our bodies.

Hospital pathogens, known as ‘super bugs’, are also a significant problem. These are multi-resistant bugs in hospitals that cannot be treated with antibiotics. The multi-resistant bug known as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a cause for particular concern. As many patients’ immune systems are compromised following surgery, these bacteria can be fatal.