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About Antibiotic Resistance | Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Resistance | CDC

01/17/2020 04:47 PM EST

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related MedlinePlus Pages: Antibiotic Resistance

About Antibiotic Resistance

On This Page

Antibiotic resistance happens when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant germs are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. In most cases, antibiotic-resistant infections require extended hospital stays, additional follow-up doctor visits, and costly and toxic alternatives.

Antibiotic resistance does not mean the body is becoming resistant to antibiotics; it is that bacteria have become resistant to the antibiotics designed to kill them.

Antibiotic Resistance Threatens Everyone

Terms

On CDC’s website, antibiotic resistance is also referred to as antimicrobial resistance or drug resistance.

Antibiotic resistance has the potential to affect people at any stage of life, as well as the healthcare, veterinary, and agriculture industries, making it one of the world’s most urgent public health problems.

Each year in the U.S., at least 2.8 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and more than 35,000 people die as a result.

No one can completely avoid the risk of resistant infections, but some people are at greater risk than others (for example, people with chronic illnesses). If antibiotics lose their effectiveness, then we lose the ability to treat infections and control public health threats.

Many medical advances are dependent on the ability to fight infections using antibiotics, including joint replacements, organ transplants, cancer therapy, and treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Brief History of Resistance and Antibiotics

Learn how CDC is leading efforts to combat antibiotic resistance through the Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative.

Penicillin, the first commercialized antibiotic, was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. Ever since, there has been discovery and acknowledgement of resistance alongside the discovery of new antibiotics. In fact, germs will always look for ways to survive and resist new drugs. More and more, germs are sharing their resistance with one another, making it harder for us to keep up.

Select Germs Showing Resistance Over Time

Select Germs Showing Resistance Over Time
Antibiotic Approved or Released	Year Released	Resistant Germ Identified	Year Identified
Penicillin	1943	Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae	1967 1976
Vancomycin	1958	Plasmid-mediated vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus	1988 2002
Amphotericin B	1959	Amphotericin B-resistant Candida auris	2016
Methicillin	1960	Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus	1960
Extended-spectrum cephalosporins	1980 (Cefotaxime)	Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- producing Escherichia coli	1983
Azithromycin	1980	Azithromycin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae	2011
Imipenem	1985	Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae	1996
Ciprofloxacin	1987	Ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae	2007
Fluconazole	1990 (FDA approved)	Fluconazole-resistant Candida	1988
Caspofungin	2001	Caspofungin-resistant Candida	2004
Daptomycin	2003	Daptomycin-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus	2004
Ceftazidime-avibactam	2015	Ceftazidime-avibactam-resistant KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae	2015