Even Short Periods of Antibiotic Usage Affect Long-Term Gut Health

Dr. Joe Mercola – Antibiotic abuse is a pervasive public health concern around the world. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.8 million cases of antibiotic-resistant infections are diagnosed yearly, and 35,000 people die from it.1 But how do bacteria evade antibiotics, exactly? As it turns out, bacteria are hardy microorganisms that adapt to antibiotics in different ways:2

• Intrinsic resistance — A change in structure or components through evolution eventually creates resistance.

• Acquired resistance — Bacteria begin to resist antibiotics through genetic mutations by “borrowing” DNA from bacteria already resistant.

• Genetic change — Bacteria are able to change protein production, which creates components that antibiotics cannot recognize and eventually eliminate.

• DNA transfer — Crosstalk occurs between different bacteria, allowing them to share resistant DNA through gene transference. Continue reading →