Culprits of Antibiotic Resistance

Abstract

Antibiotics are secondary metabolites produced by micro-organisms which act against other organisms. The producing organisms are protected from its harm by various methods. These are life-saving miracle drugs which are used not only for human diseases but also as growth promoters in animal husbandry, agriculture, food processing etc. This has made bacteria resistant to these miracle drugs which has hampered human health especially the high-risk patients like immune-compromised, organ transplants, HIV or even Corona infected patients causing increase in fatality rates. To put in the words of Johusa Lederberg “Antibiotic resistance as a phenomenon is, in itself, not surprising. Nor is it new. It is, however, newly worrying, because it is accumulating and accelerating, while the world’s tools for combating it decrease in power”. Therefore, now the time has come to decide between more trade and human life. The review discusses these aspects along with different ways which has increased drug resistance.