Image: Chaikom / Shutterstock

Did you ever read Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain? What about Richard Preston’s non-fiction version The Hot Zone? They are both fantastic and terrifying reads of what happens when infection and disease spread like wildfire because we lack a treatment. Consider the flu pandemic of 1918. Stanford University explains, “The influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the Great War, known today as World War I (WWI), at somewhere between 20 and 40 million people. It has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded world history. More people died of influenza in a single year than in four-years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague from 1347 to 1351. Known as “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe” the influenza of 1918-1919 was a global disaster.”

So, we would probably expect that kind of pandemic back then, right? Because we’ve come so far with science and medicine that we should be past those things now, right? Think again, folks. This isn’t a fear-mongering post, just so you know. Rather, it’s something that you need to keep in the back of your mind because even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is worried about this very real threat of antibiotic resistance. Already MRSA, e. Coli, Ebola, and others you haven’t heard of, have proven resistant to antibiotics.

Antibiotic Resistance: Why is This Happening?

Remember when antibacterial soap was just something you found at the doctor’s office? Next thing we know, everyone from the local grocer to soap and lotion retailers were selling it like candy. Guess what happened next: the minimal bacteria on our hands that was resistant to antibiotics began growing exponentially. “If this happens on a broad enough scale, it can essentially render that chemical useless against the strain of bacteria,” says Smithsonian Magazine.

The CDC provides more reasons, including widespread overuse of antibiotics and incorrect prescribing practices. In addition to creating drug resistance, they say the practices lead to unnecessary side effects like allergic reactions and diarrheal infections. And did you know that these things can lead to death? The overuse of antibiotics in our cleaning products and medicines has gravely serious consequences. Not just to one person, but this can impact the entire globe.

And let us not forget the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. According to a 2010 US Food and Drug Administration report, 80% of antibiotic use in the United States goes to farm animals. Eighty percent! What’s the big deal, you ask. Because studies show that “resistant bacteria and resistance genes can be traced from the chickens to the chicken meat in grocery stores and, finally, to blood cultures in patients [emphasis added] (The “farm to fork” phenomenon).”

How Can We Prevent Antibiotic Resistance?

If you are the patient, the CDC offers a list of strategies for improving the efficacy of your personal antibiotics. They suggest the following:

• Ask if tests will be done to make sure the right antibiotic is prescribed.
• Take antibiotics exactly as the doctor prescribes. Do not skip doses. Complete the prescribed course of treatment, even when you start feeling better.
• Only take antibiotics prescribed for you; do not share or use leftover antibiotics. Antibiotics treat specific types of infections. Taking the wrong medicine may delay correct treatment and allow bacteria to multiply.
• Do not save antibiotics for the next illness. Discard any leftover medication once the prescribed course of treatment is completed.
• Do not ask for antibiotics when your doctor thinks you do not need them. Remember antibiotics have side effects.
• Prevent infections by practicing good hand hygiene and getting recommended vaccines.

Understanding Bacteria

Remember that we live in a world filled with bacteria. It’s everywhere, including inside and outside our bodies, as well as everywhere you look. And yes, it comes in both good and bad forms. Millions and millions of bacteria are all around us. Did you know there are actually more bacterial cells in the human body than there are human cells?

They are absolutely adept at sharing genes with each other. Take, for example, bacteria that are resistant to penicillin. They also have genes that are resistant to penicillin. After a fellow bacteria dies, they can pick up genes from them. This is very different than humans. We keep the genes we are born with and don’t get to pick up or discard any of them. So, what does that mean for bacteria? Now the bacteria that picked up genes from the dead bacteria and can now do things it couldn’t do before it grabbed those free-floating genes. And this is what gives rise to bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics.

Stay Informed & Be Aware

If this seems unclear, check out a great explanation from Dr. Karl Klose in a brief TED talk. He is a dynamic speaker who uses normal speech to communicate the complexities of bacteria. Dr. Klose also cautions against how easily we could find ourselves back in the pre-antibiotic era.

This is not something that should drive anyone to live in a constant state of fear that a zombie apocalypse could break out at any moment. Believe it or not, the CDC has resources for that too. So, let’s just leave that stress to the them and their researchers. For the rest of us, here’s the formula:

• Stay informed
• Wash your hands often with plain soap and water
• Avoid animal products treated with antibiotics
• Follow the CDC’s strategies when it comes to preventing antibiotic resistance