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Review
. 2003 Jun;15(2):63-7.
doi: 10.4314/mmj.v15i2.10780.

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria - an emerging public health problem

O O Komolafe  1
Affiliations
Review

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria - an emerging public health problem

O O Komolafe. Malawi Med J. 2003 Jun.

Abstract

The discovery and eventual introduction of anti-microbial agents to clinical medicine was one of the greatest medical triumphs of the twentieth century that revolutionized the treatment of bacterial diseases. However, the gradual emergence of populations of antibiotic-resistant bacteria resulting from use, misuse and outright abuse of antibiotics has today become a major public health problem of global proportions. This review paper examines the origins and molecular epidemiology of resistance genes, global picture of antibacterial resistance, factors that favour its spread, strategies for its control, problems of control and the consequences of failure to contain antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

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