Resistance-Mechanisms and Influencing Factors

摘要

Although most antibiotics used today became available after 1981, the incidence of death from infectious diseases has risen. From 1980 to 1992, there was a 58% increase in the death rate due to infectious diseases as the underlying cause. Death due to respiratory tract infections increased by 20% in that time frame and the rate of death due to septicemia increased 83%. Factors that may have contributed to this increase include changes in the spectrum or virulence of etiologic pathogens and antibiotic resistance.How important is the development of antibiotic resistance and what factors influence it? This article will examine these questions, focusing on the mechanisms of resistance and the potential impact of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of frequently used antibiotics on resistance.