Antibiotics are commonly used in clinical practice to treat bacterial infectious diseases such as common purulent tonsillitis, pneumonia, gastrointestinal inflammation, and urinary tract infections. Although tens of thousands of patients with infections have been cured or even preserved by antibiotic treatment for nearly a century since the invention of antibiotics, the problem of bacterial resistance has gradually become a key issue in the medical field. The rational use of antibiotics is an effective way to avoid bacterial resistance and failure of anti-infection treatment. Antibiotics specifically refer to chemical substances secreted by microorganisms themselves that can kill bacteria. For example, penicillin is a substance secreted by Penicillium (a fungus, the green layer on the bad food), which can kill Gram stain positive bacteria, and streptomycin is a substance secreted by Streptococcus that can kill Gram stain negative bacteria. Since the discovery of human antibiotics, after a century of pharmacological research, now can increase the antibacterial spectrum of drugs and enhance the anti-drug resistance of drugs by changing part of the chemical structure of the original antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, cephalosporin series, etc.; also can be synthesized anti-infective drugs, such as levofloxacin class. In addition to bacteria, there are viruses and fungi, and antiviral drugs (such as Tamiflu) and antifungal drugs (such as Daflucan) are not part of the antibiotic treatment range. Bacterial resistance is divided into natural resistance and acquired resistance. Bacteria do not respond to their naturally resistant antibiotics and therefore have no therapeutic effect. Acquired resistance is when bacteria develop a resistance gene after the drug is administered, turning non-resistance into resistance. Antibiotic abuse is an important factor leading to bacterial resistance. Common clinical resistant bacteria include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP), ESBL-producing gram-negative bacteria, and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. With the application of new antibiotic products, new drug-resistant bacteria will also make their appearance one by one. An effective way to avoid bacterial drug resistance is the rational use of antibiotics. Traditional Chinese medicine says: Shang Gong treats the untreated disease. In the early stage of the disease is clearly diagnosed as bacterial infection patients can only use antibiotics, no clear bacterial infection basis to try not to use. Infection basis includes 1. systemic infection symptoms and local symptoms, such as fear of cold and fever, cough and sputum of lung infection, acute abdominal pain and diarrhea of gastrointestinal tract infection, urinary frequency and urgency of urinary tract infection, local redness, swelling and heat pain of skin infection, etc.; 2. Low lymphocyte percentage often indicates bacterial infection, normal or low total white blood cell and neutrophil percentage, high lymphocyte percentage often indicates viral infection. High blood sedimentation, C-reactive protein and other inflammatory markers, and foci of infection are seen on chest radiographs. Sputum, pus, pharyngeal swabs, blood, chest and abdominal fluid smear tests are seen positive for bacteria or bacterial culture. A common misuse of antibiotics is the upper respiratory tract infection (cold) mostly viral infection, but currently misused antibiotic treatment. After the infection is clearly identified, different antibiotics should be selected according to the type of pathogen. There are many types of antibiotics, roughly divided into penicillins, cephalosporins, macrolides (roxithromycin), aminoglycosides (gentamicin), and quinolones (levofloxacin). In brief, the first 3 categories are effective against gram-positive bacteria and the last 2 are effective against gram-negative bacteria. Infections in public places and respiratory tract are mostly gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae), while infections in hospitals, digestive and urinary tract are mostly gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), and choosing antibiotics for the type of bacteria can reduce drug resistance. Therefore, you should try to avoid the casual use of antibiotics at home, and if there is no clear certainty should also try to go to the hospital and perform relevant tests to clarify the infection before using antibiotics. If the infection is mild, oral antibiotics should be given, and if it is severe, intravenous antibiotics should be infused. The course of antibiotics is generally 3 days for mild infections, 5-7 days for moderate infections, and half a month or even a month for severe infections. You can’t stop taking the drug after 1-2 days of feeling better, as this is very likely to induce bacterial resistance. Stopping the drug immediately after reaching the course of treatment and using it for a long time will also induce drug resistance. If the proposed infection is diagnosed and antibiotics are used for a period of time without effect, when analyzing the condition, it is possible that the disease is not a bacterial infection or the antibiotics cannot kill this bacteria or the bacteria are resistant. Leave these specialized issues to your doctor. Patients who use or change antibiotic treatment frequently in a short period of time are at high risk of bacterial resistance, moreover, they should not abuse and need to be cautious with every treatment.