Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistance in Anaerobic Bacteria: Worrisome Developments

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 92 - 97
• Main Author: Hecht, David W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01-07-2004; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Anaerobic bacteria; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibacterial agents; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antimicrobial Resistance; Antimicrobials; Bacteria, Anaerobic - drug effects; Bacteroides; Bacteroides fragilis; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Resistance - genetics; Drug Resistance - physiology; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - physiology; Gene Frequency; Humans; Infections; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prevotella; Resistance mechanisms; Transduction, Genetic; Transposons; Human; Resistance; Anaerobic bacteria; Antibiotic; Prevalence; Mask; Method; Antibacterial agent; Epidemiology
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/421558

Antibiotic-resistant anaerobic bacteria have become increasingly recognized as a confounding factor in the selection of therapeutic agents. The use of potent, broad-spectrum antibiotics as empirical therapy, along with appropriate adjunctive measures, has, in some ways, masked the magnitude of the antibiotic resistance problem that parallels that observed for nonanaerobic pathogens. The use of standardized testing methods that recognize resistance and an understanding of resistance mechanisms have become essential for the treatment of patients and the development of new agents.