Tuesday 21 July 2015

The state of antibiotic resistance

An interesting article has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The article addresses the global problem of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic-resistant microbes infect more than 2 million Americans every year and kill more than 100,000 annually. At the same time, the development of new antibiotics to treat these infections is plummeting, leading to our call for entirely new approaches to the problem.

The authors call for novel approaches based on a "reconceptualization of the nature of resistance, disease and prevention."

Among their recommendations are stricter monitoring and controls for prescribing antibiotics and changes in hospital practices, including greater disinfection and less usage of invasive materials than can transmit antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the body.

The article reference is:

Brad Spellberg, John G. Bartlett, David N. Gilbert. The Future of Antibiotics and Resistance. New England Journal of Medicine, 2013; 368 (4): 299

It can be accessed here: NEJM

Posted by Tim Sandle

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