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What is antibiotic resistance, and how does it affect my child?
Bacteria,
viruses and fungi are all different kinds of microorganisms
which can cause infection.
Because viruses, bacteria, or fungi may
cause otitis media infections, it can be difficult to definitely
determine the cause. Viral and fungal infections do not respond
to antibiotic therapy. Antibiotics, however, are commonly
prescribed to treat otitis media caused by bacteria.
Most
often, people begin feeling better within 24 hours after taking
their first dose of antibiotic. This causes them to stop taking
the antibiotic, often leading to the development of resistant
bacteria. Once bacteria have been exposed to an antibiotic, they
work quickly to change themselves so that the antibiotic becomes
less effective. It is easier for the bacteria to do this if
someone takes an antibiotic for a few days only.
Therefore,
completing the entire course of antibiotics is extremely
important.
Also,
those who receive antibiotics on several
occasions are more
likely to have bacteria that are resistant to that antibiotic.
In this case, your doctor would probably wait for culture
results to identify the bacteria and prescribe the appropriate
antibiotic therapy.
When an
antibiotic is administered directly into the ear, the amount of
drug reaching the site of infection is much greater than when it
is given by mouth. As a result, the bacteria causing the
infection are effectively eliminated. This also may help to
avoid antibiotic resistance.
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