The global crisis of antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem that threatens the success of modern medical approaches. Bacteria might exhibit several mechanisms to resist against antibiotics. Intensive antimicrobial resistance surveillance is a critical step of antimicrobial stewardship as it is the basis for detecting new trends and threats, monitoring the interventions, and developing new drugs. In this chapter, we summarize the antimicrobial resistance mechanisms of bacteria and focus on the resistance of clinically important pathogens, especially to “last resort” antibiotics in all regions of the world.