title: High burden of antimicrobial drug resistance in Asia.
abstract: The rapid development of antimicrobial resistance among micro-organisms is a serious public health concern. Moreover, the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria makes this issue a global problem, and Asia is no exception. For example, since New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Enterobacteriaceae were identified in India, further spread of NDM has become a worldwide threat. However, the epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Asia may be different to other regions, and clinical condition may be worse than in western countries. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including community-acquired and hospital-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci, macrolide- and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, extend-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp., are becoming prevalent in many countries in Asia. Moreover, the prevalence of each antibiotic-resistant bacterium in each country is not identical. This review provides useful information regarding the critical condition of antibiotic resistance in Asia and emphasises the importance of continuous surveillance of resistance data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Kyungwon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yonghong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Norazah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, India.
authors.forename: Balaji
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Veeraraghavan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Visanu
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thamlikitkul
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Paul Ananth
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tambyah
authors.affiliation: Division of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.forename: R H H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Nelwan
authors.affiliation: King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Atef M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Shibl
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jiunn-Jong
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Hospital Authority, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Wing-Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Seto
authors.affiliation: Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, No. 7 Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Electronic address: hsporen@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Po-Ren
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hsueh
keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; Asia; Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae; Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Vancomycin-resistant enterococci