Running head: EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS 1

Effects of Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics Have on Human Immune System

Tian Yi Ou

Origins High School

AP Literature

Janosch

January 6th, 2017

EFFECTS OF ANTIBIOTICS 2

Abstract

This paper explores some effects of inappropriate use of antibiotics have on human immune

system, and the most common cause of inappropriate use of antibiotics. Some of the effects of

inappropriate use of antibiotics are allergy, antibiotic resistance, and weakened immune system.

The most serious consequences of antibiotic allergy is death. According to Chemist Shane

Ellison, antibiotics brought many benefits but it also causes a lot of problems(Antibiotic

Overuse, 2012). According to a research team at Yale University, antibiotics is a powerful

medicine, it kills friendly bacteria when its killing harmful bacteria (Saey,2011). This paper used

7 articles that are published online recently as reference.Most of the articles are written by

scientists and physicians, and they used a lot of references in their articles. Most of the research

and experiment mentioned in this paper were done by a professional institution or an experienced

scientist. So the information that was used in this paper as reference is accurate and credible.
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Effects of Inappropriate Use of Antibiotic Have on Human Immune System and

Common Causes of Antibiotic Overuse

Everything has two sides--the positive side and the negative side. Antibiotics is a double-

edged sword. Antibiotics saves many people from dying from bacterial infections, but it also

causes immune system problems such as allergies, antibiotics resistance, and antibiotics

dependency by using it inappropriately. One of worlds first antibiotics--Penicillin was

discovered by British scientist Alexander Fleming in the 1940s. After Penicillin was put into

use as medication for bacterial infections, many serious diseases that caused by bacteria such as

Conjunctivitis, Gonorrhea, and Tonsillitis were cured effectively. Death that caused by bacterial

diseases and infections were reduced dramatically. There were also many people died from

penicillin allergy or affected by other side effects of penicillin as well. Antibiotics saved many

of peoples lives but they are also affecting human immune system in a negative way. Chemist

Shane Ellison cautions that Today, antibiotics are a luxury that previous generations didn't

have. But antibiotic overuse is slowly killing us (Antibiotic Overuse, 2012). Antibiotics saved

many peoples lives since it was first discovered and put into use as medication for bacterial

infections. In the meantime, its harming people by weakening peoples immune system,

causing allergy and other side effects.

Effects of Antibiotics on Human Immune System

Allergy

An allergy happens when immune system responds to an unknown substance that is

usually harmless as a harmful substance for human body. Then the immune system will attack

the substance and causing allergic reactions such as erythema and rash. Most of the allergens are
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substances that are relatively new to human body. Antibiotics was discovered less than a century

ago. That means antibiotics is still relatively new for human body. So there is a high probability

that human body will be allergic to antibiotics. Thong and Tan (2011) point out that , in Korea,

32% of new drug hypersensitivity reactions was caused by antibiotics, and 47% of drug

allergies was caused by antibiotics. That means antibiotics can cause allergy and

hypersensitivity reactions easier than any other type of medicine because antibiotics is still

relatively new to human body.

Some of the serious consequences of penicillin allergy are sudden drop in blood pressure

and blood volume, flushing, itching, and potentially respiratory compromise, bowel oedema,

and potential death(Bhattacharya, 2012). One of the most serious consequences of penicillin is

death. When penicillin was first introduced, it saved thousands of people. Meanwhile, many of

people died from penicillin allergy. The same thing is still happening today. About 400 people in

the United States die from penicillin allergy every year. Although antibiotics saved many

peoples lives, serious consequences caused by antibiotics allergic reactions still can not be

ignored.

Antibiotic Resistance

Besides serious allergic reactions, inappropriate use of antibiotics is also making the

bacteria adapted to the antibiotics. Originally, bacteria is not resistant to antibiotics. Antibiotics

resistant developed due to overuse of antibiotics over time. Ricardo Ramiro, a scientist who

studies evolution conducted a series of experiments on bacteria that is not resistant to

antibiotics. In his experiment, he forced bacteria to evolve in the presence of macrophages. As

a result of his experiment, the bacteria that is originally not resistant to antibiotics became

more resistant to a specific class of antibiotics, the aminoglycosides, and more sensitive to other
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classes of antibiotics(Resistance to Antibiotics, 2016). These experiments prove that bacteria

that is originally not resistant to antibiotics has the potential and ability to become resistant to

antibiotics due to evolution. As time goes by, the bacteria will become more and more resistant

to the antibiotics. As a result of antibiotic resistance, antibiotics will not be able to attack the

bacteria that is harming human body. And immune system is not able to fight the bacteria that is

harmful.

Weakened Immune System

Bacteria also has two sides just like antibiotics. There is bacteria that is harming human

body (such as Haemophilus), but there is bacteria that it benefiting human body (such as L.

acidophilus) as well. Some friendly bacteria can actually make human immune system stronger.

Antibiotics is a powerful medicine. It not only kills harmful bacteria but also kills friendly

bacteria. According to a research team at Yale University, overuse of antibiotics makes human

immune system weaker because Antibiotics quash the immune system's infection-fighting

power by killing friendly bacteria living in the intestines(Saey,2011). Antibiotics is powerful.

Therefore, when antibiotics is getting rid of harmful bacteria in human body, its also harming

the bacteria that is friendly to human body. When the friendly bacteria is needed for human,

most of them were gone due to the power of antibiotics.

Using antibiotics inappropriately not only making the harmful bacteria stronger and

eventually became resistant to antibiotics, weaken the immune system, but also makes bacteria

became more sensitive to antibiotics. According to two studies from Isabel Gordo's laboratory,

at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC, Portugal) as bacteria became adopted to the power of

immune system, bacteria became more resistant to some antibiotics and more sensitive to other

antibiotics (Resistance to Antibiotics, 2016). When too much antibiotics were used in a human
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body to get rid of harmful bacteria, harmful bacteria adapted to the power of antibiotics. As a

result, the ability of immune system to attack harmful bacteria had been weakened.

Antibiotics dependency begin to develop when antibiotics was overused. Ellison warns, if

the current use rate of antibiotics continus, eventually, there will be no defenses against

biological nasties. (Antibiotic Overuse, 2012). As human immune system adapted to antibiotics,

its ability to attack substances that is harming human body will be weaken. Immune system will

become dependent on antibiotics to get rid of harmful bacteria.

Common Causes of Antibiotic Overuse

Its important to learn about the serious consequences of inappropriate use of antibiotics

but its also important to learn about the reasons behind inappropriate use of antibiotics. The

main reason why people using antibiotic drug inappropriately is that people are not knowing

antibiotics well enough.

Antibiotics is surely a powerful medicine for bacterial infections. Therefore, antibiotics

can only be used for serious bacterial infections. But the reality is Most people don't know that

antibiotics are being overused or that they have alternatives. And that's dangerous(Antibiotic

Overuse, 2012). When bacterial infections occur, most peoples first reaction is to use

antibiotics because antibiotics is super powerful. For this reason, most people just dependent on

antibiotics when bacterial infections occur because they think other treatments just simply dont

work.

Van Opijnen claims that the essential function of antibiotics is to lower the volume of

bacteria in the body so the immune system can clear out the rest. But the immune system needs

to cooperate with the drug to be successful (Putting antibiotic-resistant bacteria, 2016). Most

people think when an infection was cured, antibiotics did all the job. However, this is not true.
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During the process of getting rid of an infection, antibiotics just helped the immune system to

get rid of the harmful bacteria that was causing infection. Immune system did most of the job

during the process of getting rid of infection.

Antibiotics is powerful for bacterial infections such as Tetanus, Typhoid fever, and

Cholera. But many people use antibiotics as No. 1 treatment for illnesses such as common cold

and Flu (influenza) that caused by viruses. Antibiotics do nothing to destroy viruses or relieve

symptoms caused by viral illnesses. Still, antibiotics were commonly prescribed for such

illnesses(Antibiotics, 2015). Most people dont know the correct usage of antibiotics, they just

use antibiotics because it was prescribed by their doctors. In most peoples minds, antibiotics is

the most powerful treatment for any type of infections. When an infection occurs, people tend to

use antibiotics. But antibiotics doesnt help at all if it was a viral infection.

Conclusion

Antibiotics is one of the greatest discoveries in human. Antibiotics saved many lives, but

it also took many lives. Antibiotics was used by human for less than a century, its still relatively

new to human body. There are chances that humans being allergic to antibiotics. The most

serious antibiotic allergic reaction is death. Besides death, there are many other side effects that

caused by inappropriate use of antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics causes bacteria becomes more

and more sensitive and resistant to antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics also lead to weakened

immune system. The most common cause of antibiotic overuse is due to misunderstanding of

antibiotics.
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References

Antibiotics. (2015). In Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale. Retrieved January

5, 2017.

Bhattacharya, S. (2010, January-March). The facts about penicillin allergy: A review. Journal of

Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research, 1(1), 11. Retrieved December

20, 2016.

Chemist Shane Ellison: Antibiotic Overuse: Risks Outweigh Benefits. (2012, April 2). Health &

Beauty Close-Up. Retrieved December 5, 2016.

Putting antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the immune system under 'surveillance'. (2016, May 21).

Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 474. Retrieved December 2, 2016.

Resistance to antibiotics and to immune system are interconnected in bacteria. (2016, July 23).

Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 4107. Retrieved December, 2016.

Saey, Tina Hesman. "Antibiotics may weaken flu fight: drugs hit beneficial bacteria that boost

immune system." Science News, 9 Apr. 2011, p. 14. General OneFile, Retrieved

December 4, 2016.

Thong, B. Y., & Tan, T. (2011, May). Epidemiology and risk factors for drug allergy. Retrieved

December 20, 2016.