Emergencia y diseminación de mecanismos de resistencia a antibióticos de último recurso en bacterias humanas, animales y ambientales

Abstract

The discovery and development of antibiotics revolutionized modern medicine, allowing the treatment of bacterial infections that were previously considered incurable and the progress in many other medical and health fields. However, every time that an antibiotic compound was introduced into clinical and healthcare practices, bacteria resistant to it emerged and disseminated at a rate proportional to its use. Antimicrobial resistance is a complex natural and evolutionary phenomenon, through which bacteria are able to adapt and survive the activity of these compounds. This is why the massive and indiscriminate use of antibiotics over decades, not only in human medicine, but also in animal and environmental health, accelerated the development of multi-resistant and, even, pan-resistant bacteria, causing intractable infections that lead to death. Furthermore, due to multiple factors, the discovery of new compounds with antibiotic activity has drastically decreased in the last half century, limiting the therapeutic options for these infections. The current epidemiological situation of antimicrobial resistance is critical, being one of the main health problems worldwide...