Advances in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety

Abstract

Review on Antibiotic Resistance

Crouch E, Dickes L and Kahle A

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria and other microbes to resist the effects of an antibiotic. A primary characteristic of antibiotics is that they lose their effectiveness over time. In the last twenty years, the number of antibiotic classes and analogues in development has not kept pace with antibiotic resistance. Appropriate use of existing classes of antibiotics could improve the lifespan of these drugs. The side effects of antibiotic resistance include reduced patient outcomes and increasingly potent disease states. New government task forces have been developed to increase the level of research and federal involvement into this growing public health problem.