Antimicrobials & Antibiotic Resistance

Evolution and Mechanisms of Antibiotics and Antimicrobials resistance

Increasing drug resistance is caused primarily by inappropriate use of antimicrobials in humans as well as in animals, and spread of resistant strains between the two. Antibiotics develop selective pressure in bacterial strength, resulting accessible bacteria to die; this enhances the percentage of resistant bacteria which continue increasing. With resistance to antibiotics becoming more common there is greater need for alternative treatments. New antibiotic therapies have been needed, but new drug development is becoming scarce.

A World Health Organization (WHO) report released April 2014 stated, "This serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country. Antibiotic resistance—when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections—is now a major threat to public health. Increasing public calls for global collective action to address the threat include proposals for international treaties on antimicrobial resistance.