What is antimicrobial resistance and why does it happen?

Pediatrician Lawrence Kagan, MD, shares advice for parents on the common causes of antimicrobial resistance in your child and the best way to fight antimicrobial resistance
Symptoms And Treatments For Antimicrobial Resistance In Children
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What is antimicrobial resistance and why does it happen?

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Antimicrobial resistance occurs because of the improper use of antibiotics. Sometimes we prescribe too short a course and it doesn't completely eradicate the infection, and sometimes, due to noncompliance by the patient, the antibiotic may not be taken appropriately. What happens is, imagine if you had a hundred different bacteria, and some of them are stronger than others and some of them are more susceptible than others. You take an antibiotic and you kill off 75 percent of the bacteria. The 25 percent that remained are the strongest ones, the ones that were able to survive that antibiotic once you took it. Now, since you stopped taking the antibiotic, this is the new bacteria that starts to recolonize. Now you have 100 percent of bacteria that was someone resistant, or stronger than that antibiotic. The next time you use the antibiotic doesn't work. The best way to fight antimicrobial resistance, is to use antibiotics appropriately and take them for the full duration and listen to what your physician has prescribed.

Pediatrician Lawrence Kagan, MD, shares advice for parents on the common causes of antimicrobial resistance in your child and the best way to fight antimicrobial resistance

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Lawrence Kagan, MD

Pediatrician

Lawrence Kagan, MD, FAAP, is a UCLA honors graduate, with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. He received medical training at USC Keck School of Medicine, and completed his internship and residency in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In addition to passionately studying neonatal, general pediatric and adolescent medicine at CHLA, he had the opportunity to train under some of the greatest minds in subspecialty pediatrics, diagnosing and managing the rarest and most complicated childhood ailments. Prior to opening Westside Pediatrics, he worked as an attending physician at the CHLA Emergency Department as well as at Cedars Sinai Urgent Care. Dr. Kagan is a native of Los Angeles and is happily married with two children.

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Transcription: 
Antimicrobial resistance occurs because of the improper use of antibiotics. Sometimes we prescribe too short a course and it doesn't completely eradicate the infection, and sometimes, due to noncompliance by the patient, the antibiotic may not be taken appropriately. What happens is, imagine if you had a hundred different bacteria, and some of them are stronger than others and some of them are more susceptible than others. You take an antibiotic and you kill off 75 percent of the bacteria. The 25 percent that remained are the strongest ones, the ones that were able to survive that antibiotic once you took it. Now, since you stopped taking the antibiotic, this is the new bacteria that starts to recolonize. Now you have 100 percent of bacteria that was someone resistant, or stronger than that antibiotic. The next time you use the antibiotic doesn't work. The best way to fight antimicrobial resistance, is to use antibiotics appropriately and take them for the full duration and listen to what your physician has prescribed.