How to Treat Infection using Antibiotics?

Infections are of many types but nowadays doctors find their only solution in antibiotics. Antibiotics are strong drugs used to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungus and certain parasites. Therefore, they can only treat those infections, which are caused by fungus, bacteria and certain parasites. Antibiotics can be divided into groups depending on the type of microorganisms that they kill (bacteria, fungus or parasites), way through which they are administered (injection, pills or orally), type of activity (killing or inhibiting) and even the chemical structure.

There are different types of antibiotics. Here are a few given below:
• Penicillin: They are the oldest type of antibiotics. They kill the bacteria rather than inhibiting their growth. There are sometimes used in combination with other medicines to treat various infections faster.
• Cephalosporins: They are mainly used to treat infection related to the intestines. They are further divided into three groups. They are widely used to prevent infections that occur during surgery.
• Fluroquinolones: They are antibacterial; i.e. they are not derived from bacteria but still are considered as antibiotics because they can be interchanged with the traditional antibiotics. They are effective even if they are injected or administered with oral pills. They are mostly used to treat urinary tract infections.

As there are different types of antibodies, their way of tackling these bacteria is also different. Some antibiotics stop or short-circuit the process through which the bacteria receive energy while some disrupts the bacterial cell wall. Some antibiotics interfere with the production of the antibiotics. Certain bacteria and fungus require special proteins from the body for their growth, so some antibiotics interfere with the production of these proteins.

Even though antibiotics have their own way of tackling with infections, they also have some side effects. Lactating mothers are advised not to breast-feed their babies when they are consuming antibiotics. There is a high risk of alteration in the child’s intestinal flora. If the mother faces any infection then there is also a chance of the baby being infected. Inappropriate and excessive use of antibiotics can lead to the production of resistant bacteria.