Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) is characterized by an organism having the ability to withstand the effects of antibiotic therapy; the result of microbes changing in ways that reduce or eliminate the effectiveness of drugs. [1]
Antimicrobials (antibiotics) have been used since the 1940s; they have greatly reduced illness and deaths from infectious disease. Their prolonged and, at times, inappropriate widespread use has facilitated the growth of organisms that have adapted to antimicrobial therapy. The end result is infections that require prolonged treatment, extended hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result. [2]
Problem Pathogens (a few examples)
Methicillin-resistant Staphyuloccus aureus [3] Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [4] Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faceium [5]
Clinical Presentation Examples
[6] 
[7] 
[8]
Basic Problems [9]
- Bacterial Genetic Mutation
- Inappropriate Antibiotic Use in Human and Veterinary Medicine
- Prolonged Exposure of Microorganisms to Antibiotics
- Reduced Frequency of Antibiotic Alternatives
- Declining Number of New Antibiotic Agents
Crisis Impact [10]
- Increasing Number of Resistant Hospital-associated Infections (HAI)
- Adverse Patient Outcomes
- Treatment Dilemmas for Physicians
- Increased Treatment Complexity
- Accelerated Use of Last Line of Defense Antibiotics
- Extended Hospital Stay
- Increased Risk of Patients Acquiring Other HAIs
- Wide-ranging Cost Estimates of AR ($100 million to $20 billion annually)
Action Items [11]
- Surveillance Programs
- Rational Antibiotic Use
- Better Education of Healthcare Workers and Public in Appropriate Use of Antibiotics
- Strict Adherence to Infection Control Measures and Handwashing
Notes:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial_resistance
[2] http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/index.html
[3] http://www.thesahara.info/mrsa/staph-bio.jpg
[5] mac122.icu.ac.jp/
[6] http://scmsociety.typepad.com/uploadimages/mrsa/leg.png
[7] http://dermatologyresearch.med.miami.edu/Images/mrsa_infection.jpg
[8] http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/details.asp
[9] http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/kardar.html
[10] http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/36/11/1433.full
[11] http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/mdroGuideline2006.pdf, pages 12-28