The overuse of antibiotics in long term care facilities is helping to fuel treatment resistant bacteria, a new study finds. Unnecessary or excessive use of antibiotics has long been associated with the rise of “superbugs” that do not respond to treatment. As a result, many medications that we once relied on to stave off life threatening infections no longer work. This new study builds on this evidence by showing that nursing homes can be a breeding ground for “superbugs”. The researchers found that even antibiotics not typically linked to mutations in gut bacteria may be contributing to genetic changes that make the bacteria less responsive to treatment.
“High rates of antibiotic prescriptions in aged care settings are likely to be contributing to the proliferation of these bugs,” said the study’s lead researcher Sophie Miller. “Our findings suggest that even antibiotics that are not typically associated with major modifications in gut bacteria can significantly escalate the presence of resistance genes”. People with loved ones in nursing home facilities can help protect their family, and others, by speaking with the administrators about the possible overprescribing of antibiotics.
Full Story: HealthDay
