Problems of antibiotic use

Antibiotics are among the most widely used of all therapeutic agents and it is almost certainly true that they are over prescribed, both in hospitals and in the community. The evidence indicates that a good knowledge of medical microbiology among general practitioners correlates well with low prescription rates. In addition, use of the laboratory and consultation with a microbiologist has been shown to improve the rational prescribing antimicrobial chemotherapy. This short essay looks at four problems associated with antimicrobial therapy: toxicity, interactions of antibiotics with other drugs, resistance of micro-organism to antibiotics and superinfection following administration of antibiotics