Antibiotic Resistance and Its Impact on Global Health

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health challenge in which bacteria become less susceptible to medicines used to treat bacterial infections. Resistance can arise through genetic mutation and acquisition of resistance genes, and antimicrobial exposure creates selection pressure that favors resistant organisms. The problem is amplified by inappropriate or excessive antibiotic use, inadequate infection prevention, environmental contamination, and the movement of resistant organisms across communities, healthcare settings, animals, food systems, and countries. Antibiotic resistance can increase treatment failure, prolong illness and hospitalization, raise healthcare costs, and threaten procedures that depend on effective antibiotics. This paper examines nine major aspects of antibiotic resistance, including mechanisms of resistance, drivers of emergence, healthcare-associated infections, community transmission, the One Health dimension, impacts on vulnerable populations, antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance and diagnostics, and future global responses.