The current state of infectious disease: a clinical perspective on antimicrobial resistance.

Abstract

The medical community is in the midst of a wake-up call. No longer can antimicrobial use be taken for granted. The overprescribing of antimicrobials has taken its toll and the consequence has been a precipitous increase in drug-resistant pathogens seen over the last decade. Pharmaceutical companies and researchers are no longer able to keep a step ahead of these resistant pathogens with new antimicrobial agents. The primary care clinician is now faced with complicated treatment issues for many infectious diseases that were once considered uncomplicated. The mechanisms leading to the development of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria is discussed in addition to an overview of the most common drug-resistant pathogens.