“Every antibiotic is compromised by the potential development of tolerance or the resistance to it from the time it is first employed.”

the immune system generally uses its white blood cells and antibodies to neutralize the bacteria if they are present in relatively small numbers. When the immune system is unable to fend off an attack, however, it is time for external help. Antibiotics are medications that inhibit the growth and replication of bacteria, at times killing them outright. These drugs kill by interfering with the mechanism the microbes use to build their cell wall. We’ll see how antibiotics work as we trace their pathway through the body.

Many antibiotics are taken orally in tablet or capsule form, meaning they enter via the mouth where they come into contact with saliva. If they’re the orally disintegrating variety of tablet, they will disintegrate within seconds. But most antibiotics will have a longer journey ahead of them, and the saliva simply serves as a lubricant to help them get down the esophagus and into the stomach. Some substances such as aspirin, warfarin, and caffeine are easily absorbed in the stomach,