Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is It?CausesHow Long It TakesComplicationsPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is It?
Causes
How Long It Takes
Complications
Prevention
Misuse or overuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance.Once bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, it can be difficult—and sometimes impossible—to kill them.They can remain in your body for years and even pass on their antibiotic resistance to other bacteria.
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Understanding Antibiotic Resistance
Bacteria are microorganisms that naturally exist in the environment and even your body. Many are harmless and, in many cases, can even be helpful. Some bacteria, however, can be harmful if they enter your body or touch your skin. They can cause infections, such as:
Bacterial infectionsare typically treated with antibiotics,drugs designed to kill bacteria or prevent them from growing and multiplying.
If bacteria are overexposed to antibiotics, they can learn how to change their structure or other methods that make it harder for the antibiotic to work. This allows the bacteria to continue living and growing. This results in antibiotic resistance.
Which Groups Are Most at Risk?
Antibiotic resistance can affect anyone. In fact, in the United States alone, over 2.8 million cases of antimicrobial-resistant infections are reported each year.
However, certain groups have a higher risk of developing infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.These include:
What Leads to Antibiotic Resistance?
Antibiotic resistance occurs naturally as bacteria are exposed to antibiotics and evolve to protect themselves from the effects of these medications.
How Bacteria Fight Against Antibiotics
There are a few mechanisms bacteriause to fight back against antibiotics. They can:
When bacteria use any of these mechanisms to combat the effects of antibiotics, they develop antibiotic resistance.
Bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can multiply and produce more antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They can also pass on this information to other bacteria that have not been exposed to the antibiotic.
Human Contributions
Although bacteria use different mechanisms to learn how to resist the effects of antibiotics, humans also contribute to antibiotic resistance in several ways:
How Long Does Antibiotic Resistance Take?
Bacteria have been adapting and developing antibiotic resistance sincepenicillin, the first antibiotic, was discovered more than 80 years ago. As new antibiotics have been developed, bacteria have continued to adapt to combat the effects of antibiotics.
Complications of Antibiotic Resistance
Many antibiotics are used to treat serious infections, such as pneumonia or strep throat. However, if antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause these infections, healthcare professionals must use alternative antibiotics to treat them.
Sometimes, these antibiotics may cause serious side effects, such askidney problems, severe diarrhea, or allergic reactions, for some people. Some alternative treatments may not work as well as the original antibiotic. And for some infections, there may not be an alternative antibiotic.This may lead to extended hospital stays, worsening illness, and even death.
Healthcare professionals rely on antibiotics to prevent infections during:
Antibiotic resistance limits the number of antibiotics available for these purposes and increases the risk of people developing hard-to-treat infections during or after these procedures.
Antibiotic-resistant infections take longer to treat and may require people to remain hospitalized longer than usual. This, in turn, increases their risk of developing other infections.
Prevention Strategies
The following are a few safe practices to follow to help minimize antibiotic resistance:
Summary
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem that happens when bacteria develop ways to combat the effects of the antibiotics designed to kill them. People do not become resistant to antibiotics. Instead, bacteria naturally develop mechanisms that make it difficult for antibiotics to kill them. For example, bacteria may develop ways to prevent antibiotics from entering their cells or pump antibiotics out of their cells.
Once bacteria become antibiotic-resistant, they can pass on their genes to other bacteria that also become resistant. Antibiotic resistance limits the antibiotics available to treat serious infections. This can result in longer recovery time, increased risk of additional infections, and even death.
For this reason, it’s important to follow guidelines for appropriate antibiotic use. This includes taking antibiotics exactly as your healthcare provider prescribes them and not sharing your medication with others.
20 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About antimicrobial resistance.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance facts.MedlinePlus.Antibiotic resistance.Aguilar-Bultet L, García-Martín AB, Vock, I.et al.Within-host genetic diversity of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in long-term colonized patients.Nat Commun2023;14:8495. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44285-wMerck Manual Professional Version.Overview of bacterial skin infections.MedlinePlus.Pneumonia.MedlinePlus.Bacterial infections.MedlinePlus.Antibiotics.Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators.Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis[published correction appears in Lancet. 2022 Oct 1;400(10358):1102. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02653-2].Lancet. 2022;399(10325):629-655. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946Kiss C, Connoley D, Connelly K, et al.Long-term outcomes in patients on life-long antibiotics: a five-year cohort study.Antibiotics (Basel). 2022;11(1):62. doi:10.3390/antibiotics11010062Schramm L, Byrne MK, Sweetnam T.Antibiotic misuse behaviours of older people: confirmation of the factor structure of the antibiotic use questionnaire.Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(4):718. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12040718Buowari YD.Antibiotic resistance in the elderly.Journal Of Aging Research And Healthcare.2017;1(4):1-4. doi.org/10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-16-1396Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How antibiotic resistance moves directly from germ to germ.World Health Organization.Antimicrobial resistance.Spangehl M.Preoperative prophylactic antibiotics in total hip and knee arthroplasty: what, when, and how.The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2022;37(8):1432-1434. doi:doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2022.01.019Lee CR, Cho IH, Jeong BC, Lee SH.Strategies to minimize antibiotic resistance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(9):4274-4305. doi:10.3390/ijerph10094274National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.Antibiotic resistance.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Combating antibiotic resistance.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About antimicrobial resistance.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance facts.MedlinePlus.Antibiotic resistance.Aguilar-Bultet L, García-Martín AB, Vock, I.et al.Within-host genetic diversity of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in long-term colonized patients.Nat Commun2023;14:8495. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44285-wMerck Manual Professional Version.Overview of bacterial skin infections.MedlinePlus.Pneumonia.MedlinePlus.Bacterial infections.MedlinePlus.Antibiotics.Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators.Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis[published correction appears in Lancet. 2022 Oct 1;400(10358):1102. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02653-2].Lancet. 2022;399(10325):629-655. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946Kiss C, Connoley D, Connelly K, et al.Long-term outcomes in patients on life-long antibiotics: a five-year cohort study.Antibiotics (Basel). 2022;11(1):62. doi:10.3390/antibiotics11010062Schramm L, Byrne MK, Sweetnam T.Antibiotic misuse behaviours of older people: confirmation of the factor structure of the antibiotic use questionnaire.Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(4):718. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12040718Buowari YD.Antibiotic resistance in the elderly.Journal Of Aging Research And Healthcare.2017;1(4):1-4. doi.org/10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-16-1396Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How antibiotic resistance moves directly from germ to germ.World Health Organization.Antimicrobial resistance.Spangehl M.Preoperative prophylactic antibiotics in total hip and knee arthroplasty: what, when, and how.The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2022;37(8):1432-1434. doi:doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2022.01.019Lee CR, Cho IH, Jeong BC, Lee SH.Strategies to minimize antibiotic resistance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(9):4274-4305. doi:10.3390/ijerph10094274National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.Antibiotic resistance.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Combating antibiotic resistance.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About antimicrobial resistance.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance facts.MedlinePlus.Antibiotic resistance.Aguilar-Bultet L, García-Martín AB, Vock, I.et al.Within-host genetic diversity of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in long-term colonized patients.Nat Commun2023;14:8495. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44285-wMerck Manual Professional Version.Overview of bacterial skin infections.MedlinePlus.Pneumonia.MedlinePlus.Bacterial infections.MedlinePlus.Antibiotics.Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators.Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis[published correction appears in Lancet. 2022 Oct 1;400(10358):1102. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02653-2].Lancet. 2022;399(10325):629-655. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946Kiss C, Connoley D, Connelly K, et al.Long-term outcomes in patients on life-long antibiotics: a five-year cohort study.Antibiotics (Basel). 2022;11(1):62. doi:10.3390/antibiotics11010062Schramm L, Byrne MK, Sweetnam T.Antibiotic misuse behaviours of older people: confirmation of the factor structure of the antibiotic use questionnaire.Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(4):718. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12040718Buowari YD.Antibiotic resistance in the elderly.Journal Of Aging Research And Healthcare.2017;1(4):1-4. doi.org/10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-16-1396Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How antibiotic resistance moves directly from germ to germ.World Health Organization.Antimicrobial resistance.Spangehl M.Preoperative prophylactic antibiotics in total hip and knee arthroplasty: what, when, and how.The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2022;37(8):1432-1434. doi:doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2022.01.019Lee CR, Cho IH, Jeong BC, Lee SH.Strategies to minimize antibiotic resistance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(9):4274-4305. doi:10.3390/ijerph10094274National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.Antibiotic resistance.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Combating antibiotic resistance.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About antimicrobial resistance.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance facts.
MedlinePlus.Antibiotic resistance.
Aguilar-Bultet L, García-Martín AB, Vock, I.et al.Within-host genetic diversity of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in long-term colonized patients.Nat Commun2023;14:8495. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44285-w
Merck Manual Professional Version.Overview of bacterial skin infections.
MedlinePlus.Pneumonia.
MedlinePlus.Bacterial infections.
MedlinePlus.Antibiotics.
Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators.Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis[published correction appears in Lancet. 2022 Oct 1;400(10358):1102. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02653-2].Lancet. 2022;399(10325):629-655. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02724-0
Salam MA, Al-Amin MY, Salam MT, et al.Antimicrobial resistance: a growing serious threat for global public health.Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(13):1946. doi:10.3390/healthcare11131946
Kiss C, Connoley D, Connelly K, et al.Long-term outcomes in patients on life-long antibiotics: a five-year cohort study.Antibiotics (Basel). 2022;11(1):62. doi:10.3390/antibiotics11010062
Schramm L, Byrne MK, Sweetnam T.Antibiotic misuse behaviours of older people: confirmation of the factor structure of the antibiotic use questionnaire.Antibiotics (Basel). 2023;12(4):718. doi:10.3390/antibiotics12040718
Buowari YD.Antibiotic resistance in the elderly.Journal Of Aging Research And Healthcare.2017;1(4):1-4. doi.org/10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-16-1396
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How antibiotic resistance moves directly from germ to germ.
World Health Organization.Antimicrobial resistance.
Spangehl M.Preoperative prophylactic antibiotics in total hip and knee arthroplasty: what, when, and how.The Journal of Arthroplasty. 2022;37(8):1432-1434. doi:doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2022.01.019
Lee CR, Cho IH, Jeong BC, Lee SH.Strategies to minimize antibiotic resistance.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013;10(9):4274-4305. doi:10.3390/ijerph10094274
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.Antibiotic resistance.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Combating antibiotic resistance.
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