The Effect of Antibiotic Drug Resistance on the Environment and its Impact on Public Health (Development of Drug Resistance).

摘要

The problem of drug resistance has arisen secondary to favorable selection pressures in an atmosphere of widespread usage of antibiotics. Resistance has been shown to be genetically or environmentally influenced and has been demonstrated to be transferable between different bacterial forms. The transfer of resistance occurs between pathogenic and nonpathogenic microorganisms, and factors determining resistance may even be obtained from nonhuman sources, such as farm animals or the environment in general. The danger of resistance complicating therapy continually exists, in which a human population becomes highly susceptible to a particular infection with few effective therapeutic remedies. Since increased incidents of resistance are related to increased use of antibiotics, cautious prescribing of drugs cannot be overemphasized. The clinician must, therefore, realize that his or her antibiotic therapy affects not only the individual patient's course of recovery but future chemotherapy and the welfare of the general public. This review article is presented to increase the clinician's awareness of the potential environmental dangers of widespread use of antibiotics and the impact on public health.