title: The growing challenges of antibacterial drug resistance in Ethiopia.
abstract: Infectious diseases of bacterial origin are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries such as Ethiopia. To minimise such burdens, proper use of antibiotics has played a vital role and saved countless lives. However, use of antimicrobials as therapeutic agents is compromised by the potential development of drug-resistant micro-organisms. Currently, antimicrobial drug resistance has become a public health concern both in developing and developed countries. Antimicrobial drug resistance is dramatically accelerated when antimicrobials are misused. This is critical, especially in developing countries where they are not only misused but are often underused due to financial constraints. Although large-scale studies on antimicrobial resistance in Ethiopia have not yet been conducted, the available reports indicate a trend towards increasing resistance rates among pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus to commonly prescribed antibiotics, including ampicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. This review summarises the existing data on antibacterial drug resistance in this country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia. Electronic address: Mogesfeleke@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Feleke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moges
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Mengistu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endris
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Andargachew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mulu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Belay
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tessema
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Yeshambel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Belyhun
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Yitayal
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shiferaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Kahsay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huruy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Chandrashekhar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Unakal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Afework
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kassu
keywords: Bacteria; Drug resistance; Multidrug resistance