Solving the problem of antimicrobial resistance: is a global approach necessary? Joanna Coast and Richard D. Smith Drug Discovery Today 2003, 8:1-2   Joanna Coast, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, University of Bristol Richard D. Smith, Senior Lecturer in Health Economics, University of East Anglia The ability of microorganisms to become resistant to the therapies used against them has long been recognized, and resistance rates for many isolates, although variable across location, are rising rapidly [1–3] . Although many factors contribute to resistance, it is strongly associated with the (mis)use of antimicrobials themselves [4]. Resistance, in reducing the effectiveness of antimicrobial therapies, increases morbidity, mortality and health care expenditure [5,6] . Although resistance is essentially the result of individual decisions concerning antimicrobial treatment made by doctors and/or patients, its impact is global, affecting all regions of the world and unrestricted by national boundaries. The increased mobility of people, animals and goods over recent decades has accelerated the spread of infectious disease, and with it the spread of resistance, such that every country is now dependent upon its neighbours in seeking to contain resistance [4].   Go to the Full Article > >  As a BioMedNet member you have free full-text access to this article within BioMedNet Reviews for 14 days  You will have full-text access to all articles if your institute subscribes. Recommend a subscription to your librarian  There are 15,000 more Review articles in BioMedNet Reviews  Please send us your feedback on this magazine		BioMedNet Magazine 26th February - 11th March 2003 Magazine Home Email to a Friend Full Article PDF printer ready version   Further Reading* Antimicrobial drug resistance in Salmonella: problems and perspectives in food- and water-borne infections [Review] E. John Threlfall FEMS Microbiology Reviews 2002, 26:2:141-148   Multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria [Review] Keith Poole Current Opinion in Microbiology 2001, 4:5:500-508   Antimicrobial resistance of foodborne pathogens [Review] David G. White, Shaohua Zhao, Shabbir Simjee, David D. Wagner and Patrick F. McDermott Microbes and Infection 2002, 4:4:405-412     * Full text access to the journal articles above is available to BioMedNet Reviews institutional subscribers     Relaxed surveillance prompts 'global' crisis [Conference Reporter] 10th International Congress on Infectious Diseases March 12, 2002   Related Links in BioMedNet Reviews Journal Table of Contents Table of Contents by email Related Full Text Articles Browse Immunology Browse Drug Discovery Browse Pharmaceutical Science Browse Parasitology Browse Molecular Medicine Browse Microbiology Browse Biochemistry Search BioMedNet Reviews