Misuse of antibiotics can lead to which outcome?

• A. Resistance
• B. Allergy
• C. Toxicity
• D. Obesity

Answer: (A)

Misuse of antibiotics drives resistance. When antibiotics are used inappropriately, they kill susceptible bacteria but allow resistant ones to survive and multiply. This creates selection pressure that shifts the bacterial population toward resistance, making infections harder to treat over time. As resistant strains become more common, patients may experience longer illnesses, more complications, and a need for stronger, broader, or more toxic antibiotics, with the added risk of spreading resistance to others.

Allergic reactions are immune responses to a drug and aren’t caused by misuse in the same direct way; toxicity can occur if antibiotics are used improperly (for example, overdosing), but the most direct and widely discussed consequence of misuse is the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. Obesity has no causal link to antibiotic misuse.