How Much Do You Know About Antibiotics?

Antibiotics treat infections from:
Viruses
Bacteria
Fungi
Antibiotics treat infections from:
Antibiotics kill bacteria or keep them from growing. They don't fight viruses, like those that give you a cold or the flu. If you don't take them properly, these drugs may cause the bacteria to change, which makes antibiotics less likely to work. That's called resistance.

Antibacterial cleansers may make germs stronger against antibiotics.
True
False
Antibacterial cleansers may make germs stronger against antibiotics.
Many antibacterial soaps and cleansers contain triclosan. Some bacteria have been shown to be able to mutate depending on the triclosan concentration used against them. That said, antibacterial cleansers are as important to use for preventing illness and studies show they have similar effectiveness as soap and water.

Acne treatment can lead to antibiotic resistance.
True
False
Acne treatment can lead to antibiotic resistance.
Doctors often prescribe antibiotics to treat acne. Any antibiotic you take -- no matter what it’s for -- can cause resistance. Work closely with your doctor to find the best treatment for you.

You always need antibiotics for:
Strep throat
Ear infections
Sinus infections
You always need antibiotics for:
Strep throat is caused by bacteria. You need a lab test to know for sure if you have it.
A sinus infection, also called sinusitis, is caused by a virus in the majority of cases or by irritation from the air. The infection gets better on its own without antibiotics. Some sinus infections, though, are caused by bacteria. If your symptoms last for more than 10 days after you see a doctor, schedule a follow-up.
A virus or bacteria can cause ear infections. They may get better without antibiotics. Your doctor may consider several things to help decide whether to use them, including how old or sick you are. They may wait a couple of days to see if your symptoms go away.

It’s OK to stop taking antibiotics as soon as you feel better.
True
False
It’s OK to stop taking antibiotics as soon as you feel better.
Take them exactly as your doctor tells you to. Don't skip doses, and finish them all. If you stop too soon, some bacteria may survive and make you sick again.

What prompted the World Health Organization to change treatment guidelines for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis?
The same antibiotics work well for all three
Doctors have created new antibiotics just to treat these conditions
Antibiotics may not work against them anymore
What prompted the World Health Organization to change treatment guidelines for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis?
These conditions are all caused by bacteria and have long been treated -- and generally cured -- with antibiotics. But that’s changing. They’re becoming antibiotic resistant. Scientists have found several strains of gonorrhea that don’t respond to any antibiotic. Resistant forms of chlamydia and syphilis aren’t as common, but they do exist.

How many people each year get bacterial infections that antibiotics don’t help?
At least 1.5 million
At least 2 million
At least 4 million
How many people each year get bacterial infections that antibiotics don’t help?
These infections include things like tuberculosis, skin problems, and sexually transmitted diseases. People get most of them at home, school, or work. But you can catch some in health care settings like hospitals or nursing homes. You might pick up the bacteria from surfaces or from the hands of doctors or nurses.

The food you eat can prevent antibiotics from helping you.
True
False
The food you eat can prevent antibiotics from helping you.
Livestock that get antibiotics can develop resistant bacteria in their bodies. Eating animals given antibiotics in their diets may raise the risk of transmitting drug-resistant bacteria to humans either by direct infection or by transferring resistance genes from agriculture into human pathogens, Fertilizer and water used on crops can also spread bacteria. Federal law in the U.S. has banned the use of antibiotics, except those prescribed by a veterinarian, in animals raised for food.

Fewer antibiotics have been created in the past 30 years.
True
False
Fewer antibiotics have been created in the past 30 years.
Researchers haven't developed a major class of antibiotics since the 1980s. The threat of resistance has been around for decades, though. In his Nobel Prize speech in 1945, Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, warned that antibiotics could become less effective. But efforts are now under way to create more -- teixobactin is an example of a recently discovered antibiotic.

How much does antibiotic resistance cost yearly?
$50 million
$10 billion
$20 billion
How much does antibiotic resistance cost yearly?
It takes an economic toll on the whole health care system. Resistant infections make people sicker. They stay in the hospital longer and need more expensive treatment.

Which germ worries health officials the most?
Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
Drug-resistant tuberculosis
Which germ worries health officials the most?
It causes life-threatening diarrhea. Each year, about half a million people get C. diff and 15,000 die. The bacteria are naturally resistant to many drugs and spread quickly.
Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is also considered an urgent threat. It causes infections that are resistant to nearly all antibiotics. Those include carbapenems, commonly considered a last resort.
A third urgent threat is drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which causes gonorrhea.
MRSA and drug-resistant tuberculosis are considered to have a threat level of "serious."

It’s OK to take antibiotics prescribed to someone else.
True
False
It’s OK to take antibiotics prescribed to someone else.
Someone else's medicine may not be the right one for your illness. If you take the wrong kind, it might slow down your recovery. It could even make you get worse.