In recent weeks, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, a.k.a. "Cipro," has been the primary antibiotic employed by public health officials in their war against bioterrorism. Media company employees, postal workers, congressional staffers and others feared to have been exposed to anthrax have all taken the drug (see "Anthrax 101: What Is It And What Can It Do To Us?"). But the Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates how drugs are administered in the U.S., has approved a number of other antibiotics to fight anthrax as well.

When the first post-September 11 case of anthrax was detected, experts believed that antibiotics were highly effective only in treating the cutaneous (skin) form of anthrax. But in recent weeks, physicians have been impressed with the ability of Cipro and other antibiotics to conquer inhalation anthrax as well, at least when the drugs are administered to individuals in the early stages of the disease.

Antibiotics are not without their drawbacks, however. Their common side effects include stomach irritation, rashes, and for women, yeast infections. They can also reduce the effectiveness of birth control prescriptions, such as orthotricyclen.

Unfortunately, antibiotics can be outsmarted by bacteria that "learn" to deal with them. After being confronted with the same antibiotic a number of times, strains of bacteria have been found to mutate and develop an immunity of sorts. "Using antibiotics incorrectly has led to the development of bacteria that can resist them," said Richard Dietrich, MD, chief of pediatrics with Kaiser Permanente in Baltimore. "This means that the medicines we rely on to cure everything from strep throat to pneumonia may not work when we take them."

This is why physicians can be reluctant at times to prescribe antibiotics. Taking antibiotics when healthy can kill the good bacteria in a patient's system and train the bad bacteria to avoid the effects of the drugs. All of which leaves a patient more vulnerable to future infections.

The usefulness of antibiotics is also limited in scope. The drugs exclusively fight bacteria. They do nothing to eliminate viruses and are useless when it comes to the common cold or the flu, which explains why health officials are stressing more than ever the importance of getting vaccinated for the flu. Because the symptoms of anthrax and the flu are so similar, they want to cut down the number of flu cases this winter to reduce fear and confusion about anthrax.

MTV News staff report

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