Combatting Antimicrobial Resistance Losing the Antibiotic Umbrella?

Shimon Shatzmiller^*, Inbal Lapidot, Galina Zats, Ludmila Buzhansky & Rami Krieger

Department of Chemical Sciences, Ariel University, Israel

Shimon Shatzmiller, Emeritus Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences, Ariel University, Israel.

Keywords: Antibacterial; Drug Discovery; Microbe; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial Drugs

Abstract

WHO Report
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.
AMR is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society.
Without effective antibiotics, the success of major surgery and cancer chemotherapy would be compromised.
The cost of health care for patients with resistant infections is higher than care for patients with non-resistant infections due to longer duration of illness, additional tests and use of more expensive drugs.
In 2016, 490 000 people developed multi-drug resistant TB globally, and drug resistance is starting to complicate the fight against HIV and malaria, as well.
Antimicrobial resistance happens when microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites) change when they are exposed to antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics). Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs.
As a result, the medicines become ineffective, and infections persist in the body, increasing the risk of spread to others.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).