Antimicrobial resistance can develop in any type of microbe (germ).
Microbes can develop resistance to specific medicines. A common
misconception is that a person's body becomes resistant to specific
drugs. However, it is microbes, not people that become resistant to the
drugs. Drug resistance happens when microbes develop ways to survive the
use of medicines meant to kill or weaken them. If a microbe is resistant
to many drugs, treating the infections it causes can become difficult or
even impossible. Someone with an infection that is resistant to a
certain medicine can pass that resistant infection to another person. In
this way, a hard-to-treat illness can be spread from person to person.
In some cases, the illness can lead to serious disability or even death.
This comprehensive, up-to-date volume aims to define issues and
potential solutions to the challenges of antimicrobial resistance. The
chapter authors are leading international experts on antimicrobial
resistance among a variety of bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae,
enteroccoci, staphylococci, gram-negative bacilli, mycobacteria species)
viruses (HIV, herpesviruses), and fungi (Candida species, fusarium
etc.). The chapters will explore the molecular mechanisms of drug
resistance, the immunology and epidemiology of resistance strains,
clinical implications and implications on research and lack thereof, and
prevention and future directions. This volume will also describe the
steps that researchers are taking to develop molecular methods for
detecting resistance; develop drugs and other means to deal with
newly-resistant organisms. A special chapter to address the issues on
strategies to limit antimicrobial resistance propagation will be
included in this volume.
