What contributes to superbugs in the US?
Overuse of antibiotics including in livestock and the food supply are a big problem in the U.S. Watch Darria Long Gillespie, MD, talk about ways in which bacteria and viruses have become resistant to antibiotics creating superbugs.
Transcript
Not completing that full course of antibiotics, it's something that's very common. I see it in a lot of my patients. They start to feel better and they either
stop taking the antibiotic, or they forget, or they leave it at home when they go on a trip. But as a result, they're giving a subtherapeutic dose
of antibiotic to that bacteria. [MUSIC PLAYING]
We're seeing superbug resistance in the US for a number of reasons. One of the first causes is the overuse of antibiotics.
A lot of patients seek out antibiotics and are given them sometimes when they don't necessarily need them. And that causes them to be exposed to antibiotics.
And the bacteria can build up a higher resistance. A second one is just advances in medicine. We're able to keep patients alive through much more
severe illnesses. And they're then exposed to these superbugs, and they're more vulnerable. Third cause is not completing that full course
of antibiotics. It's something that's very common. I see it in a lot of my patients. They start to feel better, and they either stop taking the antibiotic, or they forget, or they leave it
at home when they go on a trip. But as a result, they're giving a subtherapeutic dose of antibiotic to that bacteria.
And that bacteria is going to be able to become stronger, instead of being killed by the antibiotic. The last reason is the use of antibiotics
in our livestock and our food supply, which again creates a low level of antibiotic in the system to which a bacteria can
start to become resistant. [AUDIO LOGO]
superbugs
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