Antibiotic Resistance: How Serious Is the Problem, and What Can Be Done?

Antibiotic resistance and the resulting risk for ineffective treatment of infections are serious and growing problems. The national and international efforts by governments and nongovernmental organizations are many and high-powered. For example, the Transatlantic Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance was established by joint presidential declaration in 2009 by the European Union and US presidencies. It issued recommendations in 2011 for collaborative efforts to fight antibiotic resistance. In the US, the federal Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance updated its “A Public Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance” document in 2011. Despite these and many earlier efforts, antimicrobial resistance continues to increase, as does public awareness of the issue. In this Q&A article, 5 experts with different roles have been asked to address several questions about antibiotic resistance, including questions focusing on how to best combat this growing problem. We frequently see frightening reports about antibiotic resistant bacteria in the media. How serious is the problem of antibiotic resistance?