Antibiotic resistance: overuse of antibiotics, context and potential solutions

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge, which has been accelerated by the overuse of antibiotics worldwide. Increased antimicrobial resistance is the cause of severe infections, complications; longer hospital stays, and increased mortality. Steps must be taken to reverse the damage that has already been done and prevent further resistance from developing. This work will examine the context and societal situations that led to this acceptance of antibiotic overuse and misuse seen in both healthcare professionals and the public, the biochemical and genetic pathways that allow a microbe to develop drug resistance, the consequences that could follow if this trend of antibiotic overuse is allowed to continue and the various methods and solutions that have been suggested to prevent and reverse this problem.