title: Current status and changing trends of antimicrobial resistance in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: Due to modern travel and ease of spread of infections, it is desirable to widen knowledge of susceptibility of common bacterial isolates from different parts of the world for optimal clinical management and control programs. Over the past decades, antimicrobial resistance has emerged in all kinds of micro-organisms worldwide including Saudi Arabia. This phenomenon is primarily due to increasing antibiotic use and misuse in humans, animals and agriculture. Additionally, the presence of a large expatriate population and a significant number of visitors to the Kingdom annually for pilgrimage and/or work from all over the world may have also facilitated the importation to Saudi Arabia of drug resistant micro-organisms from other countries. Saudi Arabia has witnessed an increase of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and some Enterobacteriaceae in the last decade. We describe the status of antimicrobial resistance in Saudi Arabia which is an important focus of antimicrobial resistance for the Gulf Region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akhter
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Frayha
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Qadri
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004363:Drug Utilization; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents