Antibiotic resistance is a phenomenon in which microorganisms undergo a genetic mutation that allows them to resist the effects of antibiotic agents designed to kill or incapacitate them to reproduce. To understand antibiotic resistance, it is important to understand what antibiotics are and the mechanisms behind these drugs affecting disease. Antibiotics are chemical agents that specifically target certain bacterial strains and neutralize the bacteria by preventing their reproduction and growth. Before or just when symptoms begin to appear in the body as a result of an infection, the white blood cells in the human body are usually able to deal with the infection. But when the power of white blood cells is exceeded, antibiotics are prescribed to prevent permanent damage to the body, permanent internal damage, sepsis or even death. The first antibiotic was penicillin and it is an important component of modern antibiotics such as ampicillin, amoxicillin and benzylpenicillin. Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively control or kill bacterial growth due to a change in the genetic makeup of the bacterial organism. In other words, bacteria become resistant and continue to multiply despite the presence of therapeutic levels of antibiotic. When a disease becomes resistant to antibiotics, it is often considered incurable and can therefore pose a serious threat to public health. Resistance develops as a result of natural selection. Due to continuous exposure, the bacterial organism changes its genetic makeup and these bacteria carrying mutations will pass on the trait that helps them survive antibacterial mechanisms to their offspring who will eventually become a fully resistant generation. Antibiotics... middle of article...... Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae: S. pneumoniae is the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia and meningitis in the United States, in addition to causing infections of the blood, ears, and sinus. Each year, approximately 1,200,000 drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae infections are reported, resulting in 7,000 deaths and an additional 19,000 hospitalizations. This excess medical services costs $96,000,000 in excess medical costs per year. f) Drug-resistant non-typhoid salmonella: This bacteria causes bloody diarrhea, fever and cramps that sometimes lead to life-threatening complications. Every year, 1,200,000 salmonella infections occur, of which 100,000 are drug-resistant. Treating these resistant infections results in excess medical costs of $365,000,000. g) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): Staphylococcus causes a wide range of diseases such as