What Is Antibiotic Resistance?

Antibiotic resistance is a serious global health problem that affects millions of people every year. It occurs when bacteria change in a way that makes antibiotics less effective or useless against them. This means that infections caused by these bacteria become harder to treat, and may lead to severe complications or death.

Antibiotics are medicines that kill or stop the growth of bacteria. They are used to treat many common infections, such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, skin infections and wound infections. However, when antibiotics are overused or misused, bacteria can develop resistance to them. This can happen in several ways:

Bacteria can mutate (change their DNA) and become resistant to a specific antibiotic or a group of antibiotics.
Bacteria can acquire resistance genes from other bacteria through horizontal gene transfer, which is the exchange of genetic material between different bacteria.
Bacteria can produce enzymes that destroy or inactivate antibiotics, such as beta-lactamases that break down penicillins and cephalosporins.
Bacteria can alter their cell wall or membrane to prevent antibiotics from entering or reaching their target site, such as efflux pumps that pump out antibiotics from the bacterial cell.

Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon that happens over time, but it is accelerated by human activity. Some of the factors that contribute to antibiotic resistance are:

Overuse of antibiotics in human health care, such as prescribing antibiotics for viral infections (e.g., colds and flu) or for conditions that do not require antibiotics (e.g., acne and ear infections).
Misuse of antibiotics in human health care, such as not completing the full course of treatment, skipping doses, sharing or saving antibiotics for later use, or using leftover or expired antibiotics.
Use of antibiotics in animal health care, such as giving antibiotics to healthy animals for growth promotion or disease prevention, or using antibiotics without veterinary supervision or prescription.
Use of antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture, such as spraying crops with antibiotics to prevent diseases or adding antibiotics to animal feed or water.
Lack of infection prevention and control measures in health care settings and communities, such as poor hygiene, sanitation and waste management practices, inadequate vaccination programs, and insufficient surveillance and monitoring of antibiotic resistance.

The consequences of antibiotic resistance are severe and far-reaching. Some of the impacts of antibiotic resistance are:

Increased morbidity and mortality due to untreatable or difficult-to-treat infections, such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), and extensively drug-resistant gonorrhea (XDR-GC).
Increased health care costs due to longer hospital stays, more intensive care, more diagnostic tests, more expensive drugs, and more complications.
Reduced effectiveness of other medical interventions that rely on antibiotics, such as surgery, organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, dialysis, and artificial joints.
Increased risk of spreading resistant bacteria from animals to humans through food, water, environment, or direct contact.
Increased risk of emerging new resistant bacteria due to the lack of new antibiotics in the pipeline.

To combat antibiotic resistance, we need coordinated action from all stakeholders, including governments, health care providers, patients, consumers, farmers, veterinarians, industry, and researchers. Some of the actions that we can take are:

Use antibiotics only when necessary and prescribed by a qualified health care provider. Follow the instructions carefully and complete the full course of treatment. Do not skip doses, share or save antibiotics for later use, or use leftover or expired antibiotics.
Prevent infections by practicing good hygiene, such as washing hands frequently with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rubs; covering coughs and sneezes; avoiding close contact with sick people; cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects; and getting vaccinated against preventable diseases.
Seek advice from a health care provider before buying or using any over-the-counter products that contain antibiotics, such as creams, ointments, eye drops, ear drops, nasal sprays, throat lozenges, mouthwashes, or toothpastes.
Avoid using antibiotics for animals unless prescribed by a veterinarian. Do not give antibiotics to healthy animals for growth promotion or disease prevention. Follow the instructions carefully and do not use more than the recommended dose or duration. Dispose of unused or expired antibiotics properly.
Support policies and regulations that promote the rational use of antibiotics in human and animal health care, agriculture and aquaculture. Advocate for increased funding and incentives for research and development of new antibiotics, diagnostics and vaccines.

Antibiotic resistance is a threat to our health and our future. We all have a role to play in preserving the effectiveness of these lifesaving medicines. Together, we can stop the spread of antibiotic resistance and ensure a safer and healthier world for ourselves and generations to come.

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