<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hello listmembers,

I've seen a lot of postings lately about antibiotics, and I feel that it's
sort of my "professional duty" to make a few comments.  I understand that
when people are sick and hurting, you'd like to get better as quickly and
painlessly as possible.  That is natural.  However, we are in a very
dangerous era right now for antibiotics.  This is largely due to the fact
that antibiotics are overused.  So, here's some info. for you...

1. Antibiotics do NOT effect viruses.

Bacteria and viruses are two different organisms.  Bacteria that cause
illness in humans include E. coli or Salmonella, for instance.  Viruses are
organisms like Chicken Pox (Varicella), mononucleosis, or the flu.  Often
times a cough or sore throat is due to a viral infection.  Most of the time
the body can take care of the virus using your natural immune system.
Sometimes, however, the viral infection allows opportunistic, pathogenic
(sick-causing) bacteria to colonize the area.  Telltale signs of this may
include colored mucus (from mouth or nose), or a "white patchy" appearance to
the area.

If you feel a sore throat or other "common cold"-like symptoms, do NOT
immediately run out to the doctor's office.  Give your body a few days to try
to take care of the infection.  Using over-the-counter remedies (Tylenol,
cough syrup, etc.) may help during this time.  Remember that an antibiotic
will NOT kill a virus.  And, if you use an antibiotic when you have a viral
infection, you may kill off some of the "helpful" bacteria in your body (we
call these "normal flora"), consequently making you feel even worse.

Bottom line: Doctors will often prescribe antibiotics, even if they are not
sure if the infection is bacterial, just because of patient pressure.  Be
responsible and give yourself a bit of time before demanding medication.

2. Antibiotics are NOT all interchangeable!

Most antibiotics are very specific for certain types of bacteria.  For
example, one class of antibiotics targets a certain type of cell wall
component of a certain class of bacteria.  Antibiotics are not "magic
bullets" that can discriminate between the bacteria that you want to kill and
the rest of the bacteria in your body.  They are chemicals with very specific
targets.  Granted, some classes of antibiotics have a more general target
than others.  But, nevertheless, you can't just save a prescription from one
infection and expect that it will take care of the next.  Case in
point--Keflex is great for bladder infections, but won't help a sinus
infection.  Part of this also has to do with other chemical features of the
medication, such as rate of absorption.

Bottom line: Don't just look for a GF antibiotic or one that you have
tolerated in the past.  Talk to your doctor or pharmacist and find out what
type of antibiotic would work for your specific type of infection.

3) Antibiotic resistance IS on the rise!

Antibiotic resistance is a term that scientists and physicians use to
describe the phenomenon of bacteria developing ways to overcome the effects
of medication.  Bacteria are not necessarily "smart," but they are wonderful
survivors.  They have the ability to "swap" little pieces of genetic
material--called plasmids--that often convey genes for antibiotic resistance.
 Sometimes bacteria can even do this with other species of bacteria that are
distantly related!  Because bacteria populations can double in short amounts
of time (E. coli doubles in 12 minutes, for example), this gives them a lot
of flexibility to introduce new genetic changes and pass them on to the next
generation.  Some bacteria have other special genetic systems that somehow
"sense" harmful chemicals and can find ways around them.

I actually study a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus that is responsible
for the staph infections that you hear about in hospitals.  There are species
of this bacteria that are now resistant to all known antibiotics.  This is
just plain scary, as this leaves horrible options for medical
professionals--chemotherapy, amputation, etc.  These resistant species are
currently rare, but this may not be the case for long.

Bacteria multiply rapidly and transfer genetic information easily.  SO, the
more "fodder" that you give them for these changes, the more quickly they
will occur.  The more often you bombard your system with an antibiotic, the
more statistically likely you are to kill off all of the susceptible
bacteria, but have just a few left over that developed resistance.  These few
will multiply, leaving you with an infection that you will have to treat with
yet another antibiotic...until you get to the point where there may be no
effective medications left.

Bottom line: Follow these suggestions to help reduce resistance--
       -Take ALL of your medication as prescribed.  Do not stop early, even
if you feel better.  The duration and dosage were designed to be maximally
effective in killing off as many bacteria as possible.
       -Do NOT save medication to use for the next infection.  Do not share
medication, either.
       -Don't assume that antibiotics are the best treatment.  Again, viral
infections are not effected by these.
       -Listen to your doctor.  As often as we as Celiacs are frustrated by
the medical profession, they still have the best access to current medical
information.  Get a second opinion if you are really skeptical of your
doctor's advice.

I appreciate that everyone on this listserv is sharing advice and
experiences.  I'm sure that it provides a lot of comfort to many people.
However, I get a little nervous when I see you swapping heavy-duty medical
advice.  As much as I know that many of your have had bad experiences with
doctors, please be careful with your health.  You don't really know the
qualifications or true intentions of anyone that you talk to on the Internet.
 They may mean well, but could ultimately give you detrimental advice.  I
would encourage you to do your own research through the proper sources
(medical or scientific journals, etc.).  However, ultimately, the doctors,
pharmacists, and scientists are really trying to work for your health, and
they're the ones that you need to consult.

Best wishes to all--
Jessica Mahood
UW-Madison Microbiologist

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*