If you take an antibiotic and it doesnt change your culture does that mean that you are resistant to that drug? I know you are presribed a specific drug from whatever the lab states should work for you according what it is they see from your culture but what if you dont respond to the medication that you took what does that mean?
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
antibiotic resistance
- Thread starter anonymous
- Start date
It doesnt mean YOU are resistant to that drug, but the particular bacteria bothering you might be. Sometimes you dont seem to respond because the dose isnt right, but most of the time its because the med isnt the right one. The lab cultures are done so you know what bacteria responds to what meds....Also remember that if you are colonized with a bacteria & take antibiotics, that doesnt mean that it will not show up in a culture at all. There are numbers that indicate how active that bacteria is so the numbers might be higher or lower, but you still culture the bacteria itself.
With CF, it's almost impossible to get rid of bacteria that you culture.
So if you take an antibiotic, and your symptoms improve, then the antibiotic was successful.
If you were treating PA, you almost never will get rid of it. You will always culture it, even when you take the correct antibiotic. But the levels can be low and leave you with less symptoms. <img src="">
Now if by "not responding" you mean that your symptoms don't go away, that can mean that your bacteria has become resistant to the antibiotic OR you may have other, undiscovered bacteria in your lungs that the antibiotic isn't treating.
Sputum cultures aren't exact science and may not reveal all bacteria that are growing in your lungs. So if you are prescibed Cipro because your culture showed that your PA is suseptable to Cipro, but the Cipro isn't improving symptoms, you may have another strain of PA growing that the sputum culture didn't pick up. And this strain could be resistant to Cipro.
Hope this helps. Please reply if you need more clarification.
So if you take an antibiotic, and your symptoms improve, then the antibiotic was successful.
If you were treating PA, you almost never will get rid of it. You will always culture it, even when you take the correct antibiotic. But the levels can be low and leave you with less symptoms. <img src="">
Now if by "not responding" you mean that your symptoms don't go away, that can mean that your bacteria has become resistant to the antibiotic OR you may have other, undiscovered bacteria in your lungs that the antibiotic isn't treating.
Sputum cultures aren't exact science and may not reveal all bacteria that are growing in your lungs. So if you are prescibed Cipro because your culture showed that your PA is suseptable to Cipro, but the Cipro isn't improving symptoms, you may have another strain of PA growing that the sputum culture didn't pick up. And this strain could be resistant to Cipro.
Hope this helps. Please reply if you need more clarification.
That's excatly what happened to Reece this past 3 weeks.... He was on Cipro for 14 days.....did nothing!!!!! Still has a cough!!!!! BUT the doc. wanted to admit him 3 weeks ago....he put him on Cipro just to satisfy me by NOT wanting to "go in!" So now Im sure he will be "going in" this friday at clinic!!!
Or maybe his MRSA was the bug & Cipro does'nt touch that....Im tempted to give him some leftover Zyvox just to see if it will cut down his cough....I HATE staying in the hosptial....I hate the "whole picture" of being in there!!!!
What else can he take to get MRSA under control....OR if its the PA what could he take thats oral???? That is known to work miracles??????
Or maybe his MRSA was the bug & Cipro does'nt touch that....Im tempted to give him some leftover Zyvox just to see if it will cut down his cough....I HATE staying in the hosptial....I hate the "whole picture" of being in there!!!!
What else can he take to get MRSA under control....OR if its the PA what could he take thats oral???? That is known to work miracles??????
Sounds like your doc had it right. Your son needs to be in the hospital.
By treating with an antibiotic that isn't working, you are creating lung damange.
Please don't give him any leftover Zyvox. Only full courses of antibiotic therapy should be given otherwise you will be promoting resistance.
Everyone hates the hospital. It gives me the chills just thinking about it. but the reality is that if you want to preserve lung function, your son needs to get appropriate antibiotic therapy to supress the bacteria that's giving him trouble.
By treating with an antibiotic that isn't working, you are creating lung damange.
Please don't give him any leftover Zyvox. Only full courses of antibiotic therapy should be given otherwise you will be promoting resistance.
Everyone hates the hospital. It gives me the chills just thinking about it. but the reality is that if you want to preserve lung function, your son needs to get appropriate antibiotic therapy to supress the bacteria that's giving him trouble.
This is the original poster-- Thank you Amy for your response! I just wanted to clarify that when I cultured PA I wasnt having any symptoms but my Doc wanted to treat it because it was one of the first times I cultured this. So by me taking the antibiotics that I did, I didnt feel any different after taking them because I was feeling fine to start with however the PA still stayed the same "light growth PA". So that is why I was wondering how can you tell if you are resistant?
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>anonymous</b></i>
How will I be promoting resistance by giving him "leftovers?" It wont be a day or two I have at least 10 days worth. Im NOT trying to be a smart a$$....really how will it promote resistance.</end quote></div>
Well, if it's his PA that's giving him trouble and not his MRSA, you won't be treating the PA infection at all with the Zyvox.
If you give him a shorter course than is necessarily for the MRSA (I would guess it's 14 days, not 10 days, but check with your doc), then you could be promoting resistance.
Here's how - antibiotics kill bacteria. But not all bacteria are killed. Some bacteria survive because they have mutations (everything on this planet mutates) that prevent them from being killed by the bacteria. Often times, with enough antibiotic exposure, even the bacteria that have surivived will be killed off. However, if you dose an antibiotics for not long enough, or if you dose it sub-theraputically, the bacteria that did survive the initial anitibiotic exposure will grow. And what's left? Stronger, more resistant bacteria that will be tougher to kill with your next course of Zyvox.
If your doc thinks your son needs to be in the hospital, admit the poor guy. Sounds like he's suffered enough.
How will I be promoting resistance by giving him "leftovers?" It wont be a day or two I have at least 10 days worth. Im NOT trying to be a smart a$$....really how will it promote resistance.</end quote></div>
Well, if it's his PA that's giving him trouble and not his MRSA, you won't be treating the PA infection at all with the Zyvox.
If you give him a shorter course than is necessarily for the MRSA (I would guess it's 14 days, not 10 days, but check with your doc), then you could be promoting resistance.
Here's how - antibiotics kill bacteria. But not all bacteria are killed. Some bacteria survive because they have mutations (everything on this planet mutates) that prevent them from being killed by the bacteria. Often times, with enough antibiotic exposure, even the bacteria that have surivived will be killed off. However, if you dose an antibiotics for not long enough, or if you dose it sub-theraputically, the bacteria that did survive the initial anitibiotic exposure will grow. And what's left? Stronger, more resistant bacteria that will be tougher to kill with your next course of Zyvox.
If your doc thinks your son needs to be in the hospital, admit the poor guy. Sounds like he's suffered enough.
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>anonymous</b></i>
This is the original poster-- Thank you Amy for your response! I just wanted to clarify that when I cultured PA I wasnt having any symptoms but my Doc wanted to treat it because it was one of the first times I cultured this. So by me taking the antibiotics that I did, I didnt feel any different after taking them because I was feeling fine to start with however the PA still stayed the same "light growth PA". So that is why I was wondering how can you tell if you are resistant?</end quote></div>
Gothca! thank you for the clarification.
This is how you tell if you're resistant. You cough up a sputum culture.
The microbiologists put the sputum in a dish and let the bacteria in the sputum grow. Then they treat the sputum with different antibiotics to see which antibiotic kills the bacteria and which doesn't.
The issue with sputum cultures is that it doesn't necessarily reflect all the bacteria that is growing in your lungs. THere may be some bacteria hiding that didn't come up in the sputum.
Let me know if you need further explanation <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
This is the original poster-- Thank you Amy for your response! I just wanted to clarify that when I cultured PA I wasnt having any symptoms but my Doc wanted to treat it because it was one of the first times I cultured this. So by me taking the antibiotics that I did, I didnt feel any different after taking them because I was feeling fine to start with however the PA still stayed the same "light growth PA". So that is why I was wondering how can you tell if you are resistant?</end quote></div>
Gothca! thank you for the clarification.
This is how you tell if you're resistant. You cough up a sputum culture.
The microbiologists put the sputum in a dish and let the bacteria in the sputum grow. Then they treat the sputum with different antibiotics to see which antibiotic kills the bacteria and which doesn't.
The issue with sputum cultures is that it doesn't necessarily reflect all the bacteria that is growing in your lungs. THere may be some bacteria hiding that didn't come up in the sputum.
Let me know if you need further explanation <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
thelizardqueen
New member
If we're talking PA - because that's the only thing I culture really, then you can never get rid of it. I take Cipro and TOBI for my PA, and while my symptoms improve, etc, my cultures alway still show up with traces of PA. That doesn't mean that you're resistant. You would only be resistant if your symptoms did not improve whatsoever.
thelizardqueen
New member
I would only treat PA if its in your lungs. I know that you can get a nose spray to treat your sinuses, because obviously the PA in your throat is coming from your sinuses, but there's no antibiotic you can take for your sinuses.