Indiscriminate Usage of Antibiotics

Bacteria become resistant to antibiotics if taken indiscriminately. A news item had appeared in Time of India dated 20th December, 2012 stating that a trial in Europe has revealed that Amoxicillin, commonly used in lower respiratory tract infections, was found no more effective in relieving symptoms.

An article was published in the journal ‘the Lancet Infectious Diseases’ (Volume 13, Issue 2, February 2013) titled "Amoxicillin for acute lower respiratory tract infection in primary care when pneumonia is not suspected". The article referred to a study on 2,061 adults with acute uncomplicated lower respiratory tract infection in 12 European countries (England, Wales, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia) which were randomly assigned to receive either amoxicillin or a placebo thrice daily for seven days. New or worsening symptoms were significantly less common in the amoxicillin group than in the placebo group. No selective benefits in patients aged 60 years or older were noted. The study interpreted that when pneumonia is not suspected clinically, amoxicillin provides little benefit for acute lower-respiratory-tract infection in primary care both overall and in patients aged 60 years or more, and causes slight harms likes nausea, rashes or diarrhoea.