One organism, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), kills approximately 19,000 Americans annually, which is more than HIV / AIDS, Parkinson's disease, emphysema, and homicide combined (5). In the mid-1980s, the incidence of MRSA isolates was close to zero, and by 1998 the incidence of MRSA was approximately 70% in Japan, 40% in Belgium, 30% in the United Kingdom, and 28% in the United States (1). Every year, 2 million Americans obtain hospital-acquired infections, most of which are caused by antibiotic resistant microorganisms, and result in 99,000 deaths (5). In malaria-endemic countries, resistance to earlier anti-malaria medications such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is widespread, which sustains malaria as a significant health threat (2). Antibiotic resistance is relevant in every country, and has the potential to affect all strands of bacteria that are responsible for human infection.

Threat of Antibiotic Resistance

The prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is not only a threat to...
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