International Surveillance of Prevalence of Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics

摘要

Pathogenic bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics, mostly by spread of resistance genes on transposons carried by plasmids from one bacterial cell to another, and such genes are naturally selected. Antibiotics use affects distribution of resistance genes, and has limited effectiveness in specific cases. Resistance to various antibiotics is measured by use of standard susceptibility discs, done routinely all over the world. The Microbiology Laboratory of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital has been collecting data from some 30 centers, worldwide, for many years. Antibiotic resistance is investigated by computer surveillance, exchange of bacterial isolates, histograms, using data from collaborating investigators. Nosocomial (hospital) spread was studied wherever it occurred.