Zoë Breininger | January 2nd, 2025
When we arrive at college, we become immersed in a world of new friends, places, and experiences. But alongside these novel experiences comes an often overlooked element: the countless germs and bacteria that thrive in shared spaces, populating every door handle and crowded classroom, spread by friendly handshakes. Whether it be a sinus infection or “frat flu,” illness in college can be an extreme inconvenience.
When you go to the Student Health Center to receive care for an infection, you are often prescribed an antibiotic. Antibiotics function exactly as they sound. They kill any invading bacteria or microorganism foreign to the body — quite literally, anti-biotic. However, these substances are uncontrolled, so when you are prescribed an antibiotic, it not only kills the “bad” bacteria but also the “good” bacteria that make up your gut microbiome and that keep you healthy.
While antibiotics can be effective at treating infections, when over-prescribed, they pose a serious public health risk. Because the bacteria and microorganisms that cause illness are biotic, they have the propensity to adapt to their environments. Thus, if a disease-causing bacteria is placed in an antibiotic environment and can adapt and reproduce, this creates a strain of the bacteria that is antibiotic- or antimicrobial-resistant (AMR). If this strain is communicable, it creates a population health concern, as the normative antibiotic used to treat this infection is rendered ineffective.
There is a growing concern surrounding the impact of AMR. A recent study estimates that if prescription trends continue, antibiotic resistance could cause 39 million deaths by 2050. AMR has posed a threat to the treatment of a variety of illnesses, ranging from pneumonia to gonorrhea to staph infections. The rise of AMR has been attributed to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in the treatment of both humans and animals. Additionally, studies regarding the disposal of antibiotics have found the presence of antibiotics in drinking water. So regardless of whether you are individually taking antibiotics, the overprescription of antibiotics becomes a community health concern.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is attacking the issue of AMR at its core. This past October, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was granted $1 million for research on improving antibiotic prescribing for pediatric respiratory infections. Its goal is to reduce antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections by 5% overall. This research takes an implementation science approach with the hopes that the results can be efficiently applied to clinics, hospitals, private practices, and emergency departments. By attacking this issue in younger generations, the hope is to streamline treatment for infections so that when antibiotic use is necessitated, the patient is less likely to have built resistance.
AMR is a structural issue, so knowing all of this, what can you do to limit the risk of AMR? If you have an illness and are prescribed antibiotics, take them, and take them until they are gone. Not completing a full course of antibiotics can increase your likelihood of developing antibiotic resistance. Routine vaccinations and proper hygiene can reduce your risk of contracting infections that require treatment by antibiotics. If for any reason you are over-prescribed antibiotics, make sure you dispose of them properly. Healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and police stations often have prescription drop-off boxes, and taking your unused medications to these facilities can reduce the chances of the antibiotics ending up in landfills, contaminating the area around them.
References
MacMillan, L. (2024, October 2). VUMC awarded PCORI funding to improve antibiotic prescribing for childhood respiratory infections. VUMC News. https://news.vumc.org/2024/10/02/vumc-awarded-pcori-funding-to-improve-antibiotic-prescribing-for-childhood-respiratory-infections/
NHS. (2023, December). Local NHS encourages safe use and disposal of antibiotics during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. https://www.cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/posts/local-nhs-encourages-safe-use-and-disposal-of-antibiotics-during-world-antimicrobial-resistance-awareness-week/
Ortega, L. (2024, September 16). Antibiotic resistance could cause over 39 million deaths by 2050, study says. Washington Post; The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/09/16/antibiotic-resistance-39-million-deaths-2050-study/
Pfizer . (2018). AMR Prevention | Pfizer. Pfizer.com. https://www.pfizer.com/science/focus-areas/anti-infectives/amr-prevention