Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms, very small in size, and cannot be seen with the naked eye. Even though it's small,bacteria very strong and able to live in extreme conditions though. Bacteria can live inanywhere, both inside the human body and outside the human body. Therefore, bacterial infections are very susceptible to occur in humans.
Some types of bacteria have a tail called flagella, which functions as a locomotion. Some other bacteria have adhesives such as hair that make them able to stick to certain objects or substances, either hard surfaces or in the cells of the human body.
More than 99 percent of the types of bacteria do not harm the body. On the other hand, most bacteria "help" humans, be it in the process of digesting food, fighting bad bacteria that cause disease, and helping the absorption of nutrients that the human body needs. This type of good bacteria is alive in the human body, but does not cause disease. However, there are also types of bacteria that can harm the body and cause bacterial infections. The type that harms the body is less than 1 percent.
How to Fight Bacterial Infections?
Some bacteria that can cause disease usually appear when bacteria infect the body. This condition is called a bacterial infection. Some examples of bacteria that can cause infectious diseases are of the following types: E coli,streptococcus, and Staphylococcus. When infecting the body, bacteria multiply rapidly in the body. Not a few of these bacteria that secrete chemicals that are toxic. These chemicals are then at risk of damaging the tissue so that it makes a person stricken with disease.
Although these bacteria can infect the body, in fact every human being already has a natural immune system to anticipate and fight infection. Antibiotics themselves are recommended only to be used to treat serious bacterial infections, such as in cases of severe pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis.
In conditions of more common infections, such as viral infections and minor bacterial infections, antibiotics are not actually necessary. This is because some of these infectious diseases can improve on their own without antibiotics, as long as people with mild infections have a good immune system.
Inappropriate and excessive use of antibiotics to kill bacteria will actually be detrimental, because it will only make the bacteria able to adapt to the effects of antibiotics, so that the bacteria become resistant or do not work to be destroyed with these antibiotics. This is one of the dangerous side effects of antibiotics.
What Happens When Bacteria Becomes Resistant To Antibiotics?
If the bacteria are already resistant to antibiotics, then below are the potential dangers that can be caused:
- Meincrease the risk of complications of bacterial infection
If the disease continues to inhabit the body and cannot be cured, it can lead to the death of the patient. According to several studies, if left unchecked, the number of deaths related to antibiotic resistance will increase from 700 thousand million in 2013 to 10 million in 2050 worldwide.
- Treatment costs are getting more expensive
This new type of antibiotic drug to treat bacteria that is already resistant is clearly more expensive than ordinary antibiotic drugs. As a result, the cost of treatment in health facilities will become increasingly expensive.
- Inhibits control of infectious diseasesBecause infectious diseases caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics are more difficult to eradicate, the risk of disease transmission in the community will be more likely.
- Hinder the process of medical action in the communityBacteria that are resistant to antibiotic treatment can also threaten the outcome of medical procedures. Some medical procedures, such as organ transplantation, chemotherapy, and major surgeries on the human body are procedures that can cause bacterial infections. Without effective antibiotics to fight the bacteria that cause infection, the prevention and treatment of infection in the procedure will be hampered.
Given that bacterial resistance can cause bigger problems in the future, from now on it is not recommended to rush to take antibiotics when the body feels non-specific symptoms of infection, such as cough, runny nose, and fever. If it is necessary, the use of antibiotic drugs must be in accordance with a doctor's prescription, after the doctor confirms that your condition does require antibiotic treatment.
