A mistaken belief that antibiotics are beneficial for a broad array of conditions leads to their overuse, researchers report. The new study also finds that overuse occurs because doctors are willing to prescribe them when patients ask for medications. Researchers looked at more than 200 peer-reviewed studies to examine the causes behind antibiotic overuse, which can lead to harmful bacteria becoming drug-resistant and can cause harmful effects on the microbiome, the collection of beneficial germs that live in and on our bodies. The global use of antibiotics between 2000 and 2015 increased 39 percent, with a 77 percent increase in low- and middle-income countries, says Martin Blaser, director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University and lead author of the study in BioEssays. Here, he discusses the health concerns of overuse of antibiotics in children and adults—and how the findings highlight the need for more education for both physicians …