The four major problems or ugly effects of antibioticsare environmental pollution, antibiotic resistance, destruction of usefulmicrobiota and other side or toxic effects. Let us try to understand theproblem and reasons of each aspect one by one.
Environmental side-effects: The critical issues ofenrichment of our environment by antibiotics, antibiotic resistant population ofmicrobes and their genes are one of the greatest emerging threats to ourenvironment. The solid waste or liquid waste accumulation of diversity ofantibiotics due to their release from the industries or expired or unusedproducts from the hospitals or households is making the environmental wastemanagement processes quite challenging. Further the partially metabolisedantibiotic components are released or excreted unaltered via human and animalexcretory products into the surrounding environment (pits, ground water, lakes,rivers, etc.). Even the world’s topmost waste treatment plants are not capableto remove these antibiotics, so they continuously build up their concentrationin our environment because most of their non-biodegradable nature. Therefore, ecologicaleffects of antibiotic presence in soil and aquatic ecosystems alone has seriousrisks to human, animal and plant health. The undue presence of antibiotics inour environment is responsible for altering the free living microbialcommunities and disturbing their useful ecological functions like nutrientcycling, maintenance of relationships between living organisms, ecosystemproductivity, natural decomposition, regulation of microclimate and sustenanceof food web dynamics. The pollution of our environment with antibiotics andresistant genes of superbugs is emerging as a novel and complex type ofantibiotic pollution or genetic pollution which seems more to be anevolutionary phenomenon albeit accelerated by anthropogenic actions. Everyindividual has a role here to discourage the release of unused or wasterantibiotics into our surroundings.
Antibiotic resistance: Right from the beginning oftheir usage, superbugs evolved in the microbial world due to the development ofantibiotic resistance which is a natural adaptation (evolution and mutation)against the chemicals aimed to either kill or arrest thee microbial growth. Onone hand antibiotics protect us from untimely diseases and deaths, butworldwide thousands of people die each year because of the antibiotic resistantinfections alone and this is a major global health threat. Because, peopleindiscriminately consume antibiotics as per their choice or wish whether theyreally need them or not. So we are caught in a double sword effect of antibioticsi.e. decreased susceptibility to antibiotic action and millions of deathssecondarily due to antibiotic resistance. At the same time, it is equally toughto convince ourselves that we can even continue without antibiotics because, weare facing a continuous threat and risk of diversity of emerging and mysteriousinfectious diseases. We have developed such a great dependency on these wonderdrugs that we keep a reserve of them in our houses just like other daily useitems. However, the antibiotic use and resistance varies throughout the worldand we are perhaps the worst hit in absence of proper measures and initiativesto minimise its occurrence.
Destroying useful microbiota: Nature has provided as auseful quota of trillions of microorganisms at different locations of our bodyas a means of natural defence against the establishment of foreign pathogens inour body. Secondly, these useful microbes are very important for our normalwellbeing by strengthening our immune system. However, the excessive use ofantibiotics either kills these useful microbiota or destroy their normalphysiological processes thereby depriving us from their useful role in ourbody. A vast category of human disease alone result due to destructive effectsof antibiotics on these useful microbial communities of our body. So takingantibiotics only under proper medical supervision is a prerequisite tosafeguard our normal microbiota from their ill effects.
Other side or toxic effects in human: Other toxic effects either minor includingirritating symptoms of digestive system or major (production of toxins) arealso responsible for the development of variety of new and novel diseases andphysiological abnormalities in our body. Even some of the antibiotics if usedduring pregnancy can result in miscarriage/abortion or developmentalabnormalities of the foetus. Particularly taking antibiotics for colds or otherviral infections result in disastrous consequences in our body.
Reasons: Self-medication, and taking antibioticsunnecessarily puts us at a greater risk. Everyone is a medico or a doctor initself to prescribe and get an antibiotic of choice quite easily from a medicalshop. Further, the wanton feeding and misuse of antibiotics not only toourselves but to our animals including the food and milk yielding animals andagricultural products accelerates the process of resistance and environmentalcontamination. Similarly indiscriminate usage of antibiotics as skin ointmentsor wound healing creams without following a standard usage formula is anotherproblem responsible for aggravating the skin microbiota. The greatest problemis that we can easily procure them from the market just like chocolates andtoffees. Use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine as growth promoters andtheir use in aquaculture are the other factors responsible for the toxiceffects in human.
Conclusion: As it is not possible to do away with theantibiotics or to completely replace them with other alternatives, therefore,we need to adapt to the changing global trends vis-à-vis the controlled use andprescription of antibiotics. In most parts of world, the prescription ofantibiotics is allowed only after strict and regulated permission by thecompetent authorities that too in case of the medical emergencies. Therefore,it will be wiser to minimise their use, avoid self-medication and only take themunder strict medical or doctoral supervision. Policy measures and programs tocheck and limit the antibiotic release into our environment need to beaccelerated and strictly followed to reduce antibiotic pollution. In fact weall have a role to play in fighting the antibiotic resistance and its otherside environmental effects.
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