Novel ways of preventing antibiotic-resistant infections: what might the future hold?
Most antibiotic-resistant bacteria are opportunistic pathogens; they colonize the skin and mucosal surfaces and only cause infection when the opportunity arises. Thus, the processes that lead to an infection attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be broadly divided into those processes that lead to acquisition of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and those that lead to the development of an infection with that organism. We review the processes that lead to the development of infections attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. We then discuss options that may become available to interrupt these processes and, thus, may reduce the rate of infections attributable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the future.
Roghmann
Mary-Claire
MC
Epidemiology Section, Medical Care Clinical Center, VA Maryland Health Care System, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. mroghman@epi.umaryland.edu
McGrail
Linda
L
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*