Antibiotic resistance

Antimicrobial resistance continues to increase while the pipeline for new antibiotic development is drying up; after only seven decades of antibiotic use, bacterial infections that once were easily treated are becoming untreatable.Antimicrobials have enabled the advancement of many areas of medical practice. The successful outcomes of many surgical procedures and immunosuppressive treatments depend on antibiotic prophylaxis and the ability to treat infective complications. Antibiotic resistance therefore poses a serious threat to much of healthcare as we know it. Areas of particular concern are multi-resistant carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative organisms, gonorrhoea and multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis.Antibiotic resistance correlates with antibiotic use, so that improved antimicrobial stewardship, with better prevention and diagnosis of infection, can help to conserve the currently available antimicrobial agents. Significant global investment, both from public and private sector funding, is required if development of new anti-infectives is to keep pace with increasing resistance.