Multidrug-resistant organisms and antibiotic management.

Overview

The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections in clinical practice stems from clinical and veterinary antibiotic use, and animal husbandry. As resistance to antibiotics becomes more common, a vicious circle develops wherein increasingly broad-spectrum agents must be prescribed empirically to ensure that initial antibiotic therapy is adequate to the task, and new, ever more powerful agents are needed for the treatment of MDR bacteria. Unfortunately, a dearth of new agents and drugs is in development. As clinicians we must learn to make do with what we have for the foreseeable future, according to the principles of antibiotic stewardship.