Antimicrobial agents are considered one of the most useful and successful
forms of chemotherapeutics in the history of medicine. Unfortunately, resistance to
such antimicrobial agents is widespread globally which represents a major challenge
faced by the health authorities. Some species of microorganisms are intrinsically
resistant to the effects of certain antimicrobial agents whereas the selective pressure of
antimicrobials can cause others to acquire the resistance due to mutation of the target
sites or horizontal gene transfer. The increased dissemination of microbes resistant to
antibiotics may be caused by misuse/overuse of antibiotics, non-human use of
antimicrobials or pharmaceutical manufacturing effluents. The emergence and spread
of antimicrobial resistance influence many sectors in the healthcare system which will
be negatively reflected on the whole community and can lead to many consequences
which include high morbidity and mortality rates, loss of protection for patients and
increased healthcare costs. The continuously increasing rate of antibiotic resistance to
almost all traditional antimicrobial agents boosted the urgent need for the development
of new non-traditional therapeutics. In addition, innovative strategies should be applied
to reduce the emergence of new resistant pathogens. There are many alternative
approaches and treatment options at different stages of investigation and development
to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens including: development of new antibiotics,
phage therapy, monoclonal antibodies, probiotics and anti-virulence factors. Because
antibiotic resistance is a cross-border problem and microbes travel freely, international
cooperation and coordination are required to solve such a problem. The use of
antimicrobial agents should be optimized and misuse and overuse of such vital drugs
should be avoided, and stewardship antibiotic programs should be implemented for the
proper utilization of antibiotics. In addition, the non-human use of antimicrobial agents
in agriculture and animal husbandry should be as limited as possible to reduce the
unnecessary use that accelerates the development of antimicrobial resistance. In
addition, global public awareness programs are urgently needed to educate everyone
about the hazards and consequences of antimicrobial resistance and how such problems
could be countered.
Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic misuse, selective pressure, gene
transfer, intrinsic resistance, acquired resistance, economic cost, antimicrobial
stewardship, alternative therapy, phage therapy, probiotics.
