Antibiotic resistance - An impending crisis

The global emergence of antimicrobial resistance has become a pre-eminent c oncern in medicine and public health. Antimicrobial resistance is of partic ular concern because the problem is widespread, the causative factors are u ncontrolled, and national strategies to address the problem are lacking. Th e persisting burden of infectious diseases makes elimination of antibiotic use unethical, but dramatic overuse and misuse of antimicrobial agents arou nd the world must be reduced to extend the useful lifetimes of these drugs. Population genetic models suggest that resistance emerges rapidly under th e selective pressure of antibiotics, but decays slowly once that pressure i s removed. Hence, measures to prevent the emergence of resistance must be i mplemented urgently. A multiplicity of factors drive antibiotic resistance, and solutions require the collaboration of governmental agencies, the phar maceutical companies, healthcare providers, and consumers. Leadership in th e form of a national steering committee on antimicrobial resistance is need ed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to guide collective action to control the threat of antibiotic resistance.