Antibiotics work by killing bacteria or stopping them from growing. But some antibiotics do not work as well as they did to kill certain bacteria. This is called antibiotic resistance.
There are strains of bacteria that have become resistant to many antibiotics. They're known as 'superbugs'.
Never take antibiotics when you do not need them
The more antibiotics are used to treat minor conditions, the more likely that superbugs will develop. This means antibiotics can become ineffective for treating more serious conditions.
Antibiotics are not prescribed to treat all infections.
This is because antibiotics:
- do not work for infections that are caused by viruses - they only work for bacterial infections
- are often unlikely to speed up healing
- can cause side effects
Causes of antibiotics resistance
Antibiotic resistance happens when antibiotics:
- are overused - if they are used too often, it stops them working properly
- are not able to destroy some bacteria that grow, change and spread very fast
- kill your body’s good bacteria with the bad - this means superbugs can grow and take over
Superbugs and antibiotic resistance
Superbugs are strains of bacteria that are resistant to many types of antibiotics. They are becoming a cause of disability and death across the world.
Common superbugs include:
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE)
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)
Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)
Extended-spectrum Betalactamase (ESBLs)
The spread of superbugs is a problem because:
- they spread easily - especially to people taking antibiotics
- it can be hard to treat a superbug infection
- new superbugs will be resistant to more antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance means that commonly used antibiotics are becoming less effective. This means that many infections are becoming more difficult to treat.
How to slow antibiotic resistance
You can help to slow down antibiotic resistance by:
- not asking for antibiotics to treat viral infections, including colds and flu
- taking antibiotics as prescribed and only when you need them
- making it hard for superbugs to spread - for example, regularly cleaning your hands
- preventing infection through vaccination
Using antibiotics in the right way will help keep them effective.
Never give or share your antibiotics with anyone else.
