Do you know which antibiotics you cannot tolerate? New videos by Prof. Dr. Gustav Jirikowski

Prof. Gustav Jirikowski explains the possible consequences of taking an antibiotic that you cannot tolerate.

You can find more information about our antibiotics test here

Prof. Gustav Jirikowski explains how you can find out in advance whether you can tolerate an antibiotic or not. We recommend that everyone finds out which antibiotic is not tolerated, because once it has been taken, the body’s reactions can be very unpleasant. You can find more information here

 

You can find more information about our antibiotics test here

New test for antibiotic intolerance

Test of human serum samples for immune reactions against antibiotics.

No discovery has shaped modern medicine as much as antibiotics. For the first time, it was possible to treat bacterial infections causally. Many of these low-molecular substances are actually fungal toxins. Metabolic products of molds that directly destroy bacteria (bactericidal effect) or at least inhibit their activity (bacteriostatic effect). In addition to the substances originally obtained from fungi, there are now also semi-synthetic, fully synthetic or genetically engineered antibiotics.

Around 90 different antibiotics are approved

Around 90 different antibiotics are currently licensed in Germany, and they have different modes of action. Some of these, such as penicillin, act on the cell wall of bacteria. Others inhibit protein synthesis by blocking transcription or translation. Others inhibit the activity of bacterial enzymes. Unfortunately, bacteria are extremely adaptable and the first antibiotic-resistant strains of the pus pathogen Staphylococcus aureus were already described at the end of the 1940s. Antibiotics are not only used to treat infectious diseases in humans and animals. Prophylactic use has led to the mass use of these highly effective drugs in animal husbandry and in the food industry, which is why the development of bacterial strains with multiple resistances was only a matter of time. Almost all infectious diseases that were thought to be extinct are now on the rise again in antibiotic-resistant form. The “hospital germ” often mentioned in the media should be mentioned here as an example. The pharmaceutical industry is constantly trying to develop new antibiotics, but it is foreseeable that pathogens that are insensitive to these new substances will also develop.

Digestive problems are often pre-programmed when taking antibiotics

Since human cells differ considerably from bacterial cells, the side effects of antibiotics should be minimal. However, some antibiotics also have toxic effects on humans at higher doses. Aureomycin, for example, destroys the sensory cells in the inner ear. This can lead to the ironic situation that a patient whose middle ear infection has been cured by aureomycin becomes deaf as a result of the same drug. Unfortunately, antibiotics destroy bacteria in an all-round attack: when taken orally, the vital bacteria in the intestinal flora are decimated first before the pathogens, e.g. in the maxillary sinuses, are contained via the bloodstream and the liver. This is why digestive problems are often pre-programmed when taking antibiotics.

But the mitochondria, the power plants of our cells, can also be damaged by antibiotics

Furthermore, many of the bactericidal antibiotics also destroy mitochondria. Mitochondria can be regarded as synbiotic bacteria. They have their own gene and are dependent on the anti-oxidative abilities of the cell.

The worst, however, are allergic reactions. Antibiotics are foreign toxins that can be recognized by our immune system. Allergies can develop very differently from person to person. Skin rashes, vomiting, edema and even shock can occur.

There is still no alternative to the use of antibiotics to treat an acute bacterial infection. However, the indication is mainly based on the microbiological properties of the respective preparation. Of course, it is important to know which bacterium is best killed by which antibiotic. This is usually not so clear, e.g. if several types of germs are involved in the infection. So-called broad-spectrum antibiotics are then used, e.g. tetracycline. Prescriptions are almost always issued at the discretion of the doctor or on the recommendation of the respective pharmaceutical representative. Clinical studies only provide information on general tolerability or possible side effects on a large statistical scale. Individual allergic reactions cannot yet be recorded. However, since antibiotic treatments are the order of the day and antibiotics are increasingly found in our food, for example, it seems essential to investigate individual tolerance to these drugs. Although the doctor occasionally asks about antibiotic intolerances, the patient can often only give a clear answer after painful personal experience.

Our test can be used to test in advance whether immune reactions to antibiotics are present…

The new test should now become a tool for determining clear measured values. Serum samples are tested for immune reactions against the most common antibiotics using an immunoenzymatic approach. This means that a possible reaction to an antibiotic can already be detected outside the body. This result could then be noted in the patient file and taken into account when prescribing in the event of illness, enabling the patient to receive targeted, effective and gentle treatment.

In the new assay system, various antibiotics are immobilized on a polymer carrier. The serum sample to be tested is diluted in the assay buffer to exclude unspecific binding of serum proteins to the carrier. If specific immunoglobulins against an antibiotic are present in the serum sample, these will bind to the antibiotic immobilized on the carrier. After appropriate washing procedures, the bound immunoglobulin is stained with a secondary, enzyme-labeled antibody and a corresponding dye reaction. The staining intensity correlates with the immunoglobulin titer. This allows a quantitative statement to be made about any immune reactions to the antibiotics tested in the subsequent evaluation. For the first time, patients can determine their personal antibiotic intolerance profile. This is valuable information for the attending physician as he can now take alternative medication into account when prescribing. The patient can enter his reactions to antibiotics in his allergy passport. Any chronic illnesses can be brought closer to a diagnostic clarification.

 

You can find more information about our antibiotics test here