Antimicrobial resistance is a naturally occurring process. However, increases in antimicrobial resistance are driven by a combination of germs exposed to antibiotics and antifungals, and the spread of those germs and their resistance mechanisms. Definition of Germs & AntimicrobialsAntimicrobial resistance does not mean our body is resistant to antibiotics or antifungals. It means the bacteria or fungi causing the infection are resistant to the antibiotic or antifungal treatment.
Antibiotics and antifungals save lives, but their use can contribute to the development of resistant germs. Antimicrobial resistance is accelerated when the presence of antibiotics and antifungals pressure bacteria and fungi to adapt. Antibiotics and antifungals kill some germs that cause infections, but they also kill helpful germs that protect our body from infection. The antimicrobial-resistant germs survive and multiply. These surviving germs have resistance traits in their DNA that can spread to other germs. Spread of Germs & Resistance MechanismsTo survive, germs can develop defense strategies against antibiotics and antifungals called resistance mechanisms. DNA tells the germ how to make specific proteins, which determine the germ’s resistance mechanisms. Bacteria and fungi can carry genes for many types of resistance. When already hard-to-treat germs have the right combination of resistance mechanisms, it can make all antibiotics or antifungals ineffective, resulting in untreatable infections. Alarmingly, antimicrobial-resistant germs can share their resistance mechanisms with other germs that have not been exposed to antibiotics or antifungals. This table gives a few examples of defense strategies used to resist the effects of antibiotics or antifungals.
Bacteria and Fungi Fight Back How Resistance Moves Directly Germ to Germ Select Germs Showing Resistance Over Time |