The perception that antibiotic resistance is primarily the undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse or misuse is a view that is simplistic and inaccurate, according to a recent report by the American Academy of Microbiology. The reasons behind the spread of resistance are much more complex, including appropriate antibiotic use, lack of proper sanitation and hygiene, and even the environment.
The report, "Antibiotic Resistance: An Ecological Perspective on an Old Problem," is based on a colloquium convened by the Academy in October 2008. It states that resistance development is founded in the inevitability of microbial evolution. There are no scapegoats, and responsibility is partly due to medical practice, including patient demand, industrial practices, politics, and antibiotics themselves.
"Antibiotic resistance is an international pandemic that compromises the treatment of all infectious diseases. At the present time, resistance essentially is uncontrollable. The reasons behind the establishment and spread of resistance are complex, mostly multi-factorial, and mostly unknown. The colloquium consensus was that efforts must target both the bacterial transmission and antimicrobial use," states colloquium co-chair, Jacques F. Acar, M.D. More research bridging medical, chemical, and environmental disciplines is needed now according to the Academy report.
Resistance is often portrayed as simply an undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse or misuse, but the rate of antibiotic resistance emergence is related to all uses of drugs, not just misuse, and the total amount of antibiotics used and the environment also play roles. The main driving factor behind resistance may actually be a lack of adequate hygiene and sanitation, which enables rapid proliferation and spread of pathogens.
According to the report, it is possible to co-exist with resistance by developing new strategies to prevent resistance from spreading and, wher
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| Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology Source:Eurekalert |