Antimicrobial resistance
Resistance of microbes to drugs directed against them
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials, which are drugs used to treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Any microbe can develop resistance, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Together, these adaptations fall under the AMR umbrella, posing a challenge to all countries and all demographics. Misuse and improper management of antimicrobials are primary drivers of this resistance, though it can also occur naturally through genetic mutations and the spread of resistant genes. Microbes resistant to multiple drugs are termed multidrug-resistant (MDR) and are sometimes called superbugs.
The public source identifies “Antimicrobial resistance” as resistance of microbes to drugs directed against them. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Antimicrobial, resistance and Resistance.
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This entry incorporates text from “Antimicrobial resistance” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.