Alexander Fleming's Argument Against Antibacterial Infections

Scientists should focus on finding new means of combatting bacterial infections because antibiotic resistant bacteria have arisen from the overuse of antibiotics and research on antibiotic alternatives yield promising results.

Antibiotics have been used to treat bacterial infections since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. Although it was not distributed among the general public until 1945, it was widely used in World War II for surgical and wound infections among the Allied Forces. Fleming’s antibiotic discovery was hailed as a “miracle drug” that opened the door to a world where infectious diseases were virtually non-existent. Although Fleming’s discovery won him the Nobel Prize, he warned of bacteria becoming resistant to penicillin in his acceptance speech. Nevertheless, bacteria will eventually find ways of resisting any antibiotics developed by humans, so to prevent the resistance that already exists from spreading, aggressive pursuit of new means of antibacterial

Essentially, bacterial infections become more resistant to another round of the same antibiotic if not used appropriately. Infections with drug-resistant bacteria often last longer, cause more severe illness, require more doctor visits or longer hospital stays, and involve more expensive and toxic medications. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2009, the United States spent $10.7 billion on antibiotics, including $6.5 billion among patients who visit physician offices and $3.5 billion among hospitalized patients, however, 50 percent of antibiotic use, in the outpatient setting alone, is considered inappropriate. More importantly, around 30 percent is attributed to cases where antibiotics were not needed at all, the other 20 percent is inappropriate antibiotic selection, inappropriate dosing, or inappropriate duration (“Fast