Self-medicating irresponsibly?
What is the scientific reasoning behind saying that taking drugs against certain viruses or diseases just as a preventive measure can accelerate the development of their immunity against new drugs?
What is the scientific reasoning behind saying that taking drugs against certain viruses or diseases just as a preventive measure can accelerate the development of their immunity against new drugs?
Pangolin
Favorite Answer
If you study some microbiology and learn about those organisms, you'll find that the combination of the amazing ability to mutate and pass those mutations to other organisms, along with very short generation times = incredible adaptive powers.
If only a few bacteria have developed a resistance to a given drug by random mutation, and you kill off the susceptible organisms, it doesn't take long for the few resistant bugs to multiply and thrive. What was a small percentage becomes a larger percentage and things go horribly wrong.
Well meaning physicians needlessly prescribing antibiotics for viral infections have contributed to this phenomenon. Self-medication would be several order of magnitude worse.
toxdoc333
Viruses although not technically alive adapt to change and adapt to their new environment in a way that enables them to survive. If medications are present, they change or mutate to become stronger.
Like the buffalo theory ( a joke about drinking alcohol killing off the weak brain cells, allowing only the strongest to survive), administering meds to prevent viruses or bacteria from causing illness can accelerate their adaptation making present and potentially future medications less effective.