antimicrobial resistance
resistance of microbes to drugs directed against them
AI overview
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, and other microbes develop the ability to survive drugs that are designed to kill or stop them. This matters because it makes infections harder to treat, potentially leaving people without effective medicines when they need them most.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
295,059 papers- The Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance on the Human Microbiome.Microbial ecology · 2017
- Microbial extracellular vesicles contribute to antimicrobial resistance.PLoS pathogens · 2024
- Antimicrobial resistance: an agenda for all.Lancet (London, England) · 2024
- Antimicrobial resistance.Communicable diseases intelligence quarterly report · 2013
- Global burden of antimicrobial resistance and forecasts to 2050.Lancet (London, England) · 2024
via PubMed
Article
Antibiotic resistance tests: Bacteria are streaked on solid medium in Petri dishes and paper disks are laid on the surface, each impregnated with a different antibiotic. Clear rings, such as those on the left, show that bacteria have not grown around the disks, indicating that these bacteria are not resistant. The bacteria on the right are fully resistant to three of seven and partially resistant to two of seven antibiotics tested.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR or AR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials, which are drugs used to treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Any microbe can develop resistance, including bacteria (antibiotic resistance), viruses (antiviral resistance), parasites (antiparasitic resistance), and fungi (antifungal resistance). Together, these adaptations fall under the AMR umbrella, posing a challenge to all countries and all demographics. Misuse and improper management of antimicrobials are primary drivers of this resistance, though it can also occur naturally through genetic mutations and the spread of resistant genes. Microbes resistant to multiple drugs are termed multidrug-resistant (MDR) and are sometimes called superbugs.