Media around the state reported a new study by the Centers for Disease Control that ranks Tennesseans first in the nation for resistance to penicillin. That means we are more susceptible to bacterial infections and other potentially life-threatening diseases than anyone else in the country. Too many people depend on antibiotics as a panacea. They believe the drugs will cure anything.
Antibiotics can also pose a problem even when prescribed for legitimate bacterial infections.
They are designed to combat more serious bacterial infections. Many people stop taking antibiotics when their symptoms disappear, which opens the door for even more resistant bacterial infections. Dr. Robins also warns that antibiotics often enter the environment indirectly. Antibiotics are given to cattle to promote growth before slaughter. Those same antibiotics can enter our water system through run off from pastures and feed lots.