Recent advances in antibiotic resistance in clinical practice: A review

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change so that antibiotics medicines cannot kill them or stop their growth. The global rise in  antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat, diminishing the efficacy of common antibiotics against widespread bacterial infections. As  a result, bacterial infections become extremely difficult to treat. In many clinical settings, health challenges have been encountered as  common infections proved difficult to cure. The causes of resistance have been traced to many factors such as: abuse of antibiotics, fake  and adulterated medicines, poor prescription pattern, poor diagnosis, indiscriminate agricultural and poultry use of antibiotics and poor  adherence to antibiotic medication. In this review, we dwelt more on the type of antibiotics, causes of antibiotic resistance and possible  solutions. Findings show that poor antibiotics usage and sometimes mutation in the genetic makeup of a bacterium, top the list of causes  of antibiotic resistance. This calls for proactive measures in the areas of curbing the spate of adulterated drugs in circulation,  development of new alternative drugs by taking into consideration the mechanism of action of the drugs, applicability to disease  conditions and proper regulation on the uses of antibiotics in agricultural settings.