Evolution and Emergence of Antibiotic Resistance in Given Ecosystems: Possible Strategies for Addressing the Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance

Abstract

Antibiotics were once considered the magic bullet for all human infections. However, their success was short-lived, and today, microorganisms have become resistant to almost all known antimicrobials. The most recent decade of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century have witnessed the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance (ABR) in different pathogenic microorganisms worldwide. Therefore, this narrative review examined the history of antibiotics and the ecological roles of antibiotics, and their resistance. The evolution of bacterial antibiotic resistance in different environments, including aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and modern tools used for the identification were addressed. Finally, the review addressed the ecotoxicological impact of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and public health concerns and concluded with possible strategies for addressing the ABR challenge. The information provided in this review will enhance our understanding of ABR and its implications for human, animal, and environmental health. Understanding the environmental dimension will also strengthen the need to prevent pollution as the factors influencing ABR in this setting are more than just antibiotics but involve others like heavy metals and biocides, usually not considered when studying ABR.

Antimicrobial and Phytochemistry study of Liparis resupinata Ridl. from Mount Gumitir, East Java, Indonesia

“…The methanolic extract of all concentrations imprinted a small inhibition zone (Table 2). Nevertheless, the antimicrob ia l activity of L. resupinata in this study was confirmed by the agar diffusion method as the therapeutic screening method (Selvarajan et al, 2022). The size of the inhibition zone of methanolic extract in three microbe cultures is presented in Table 1.…”

Global Burden of Fungal Infections and Antifungal Resistance from 1961 to 2024: Findings and Future Implications

“…Narrative reviews have been reported to be effective in reporting such global issues. Hence, a similar approach from previous studies was adopted [61] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87]. All literature search was done using PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and EMBASE.…”

Safety and efficacy evaluation of halicin as an effective drug for inhibiting intestinal infections

“…This poses significant challenges in the clinical treatment of bacterial infections. Currently, effective approaches for treating infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria include the development of new antibiotics with diverse mechanisms of action, combination therapies, and antibiotic rotations ( Mitcheltree et al, 2021 ; Selvarajan et al, 2022 ; Shukla et al, 2023 ).…”

“…with diverse mechanisms of action, combination therapies, and antibiotic rotations (Mitcheltree et al, 2021;Selvarajan et al, 2022;Shukla et al, 2023).…”