Antimicrobial Resistance: It's Time to Reverse the Trend

Abstract

The problem of antimicrobial resistance among clinically relevant pathogens continues to plague our hospitals. Between 20% and 60% of nosocomial infections are thought to be caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Such infections increase patient morbidity and mortality rates and cause health-care costs to escalate. Critically ill patients in ICUs are particularly hard-hit by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. These clever, single-celled organisms adapt to counteract our repertoire of antimicrobial artillery at a rate that exceeds our efforts to devise new strategies to thwart their attack.