Final answer:
Not completing an antibiotic course promotes the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can lead to more serious health problems and spread to others. It is crucial to finish prescribed antibiotics to ensure all bacteria are killed and to prevent resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you do not properly finish your antibiotic prescription, the most likely outcome is that you will promote the evolution of bacteria resistant to that antibiotic. This is because the antibiotic kills off the non-resistant bacteria, leaving behind those that can withstand the medication. Those surviving bacteria can then multiply, increasing the proportion of bacteria that are difficult to treat with existing medicines.
Such antibiotic resistance is a serious global health concern. When patients stop taking antibiotics as soon as they feel better, rather than completing the full course, the bacteria that are moderately resistant survive and reproduce. These bacteria can then cause a new infection that is harder to treat, and can also spread to others.
Even though a patient might save money by not finishing the prescribed antibiotics or by saving them for future use, and despite any short-term improvement in symptoms, the long-term consequences of antibiotic resistance can lead to more serious health problems, higher medical costs, and more intensive treatments. This is exemplified in serious infections such as tuberculosis, where incomplete treatment can contribute to multidrug-resistant strains that pose a significant challenge to public health.