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- HIV and Pregnancy
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- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Medicines
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- How to Lower Cholesterol
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- LDL: The “Bad” Cholesterol
- Malabsorption Syndromes
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- Rare Diseases
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- Stuttering
Antibiotic Resistance
Summary
Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections. Used properly, they can save lives. But there is a growing problem of antibiotic resistance. It happens when bacteria change and resist the effects of an antibiotic. Resistant bacteria may continue to grow and multiply.
Each time you take antibiotics there is a risk that the bacteria will become resistant. Resistant infections can be difficult and sometimes impossible to treat. They can spread to other people. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one example. It causes infections that are resistant to several common antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance can cause problems. To help prevent antibiotic resistance:
- Don’t use antibiotics for viruses like colds or flu. Antibiotics don’t work on viruses.
- Don’t ask your health care provider to give you an antibiotic.
- When you take antibiotics, follow the directions carefully. Finish your medicine even if you feel better. If you stop treatment too soon, some bacteria may survive and re-infect you.
- Do not share your antibiotics with others.
- Don’t save antibiotics for later or use someone else’s prescription.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Statistics and Research
- 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- On the Trail of Drug-Defying Superbugs National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Start Here
- About Antibiotic Resistance Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Antimicrobial Resistance Questions and Answers Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Videos and Tutorials
- Animation of Antimicrobial Resistance Food and Drug Administration
- Antibiotics vs. Bacteria: Fighting the Resistance National Library of Medicine
Patient Handouts
- Antibiotic Resistance: 5 Things to Know Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Fight Antimicrobial Resistance: Protect Yourself and Your Family Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Vancomycin-resistant enterococci – hospital Medical Encyclopedia
Diagnosis and Tests
- Antibiotic Sensitivity Test National Library of Medicine
Specifics
- Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Antimicrobial Resistance World Health Organization
- Antimicrobial Resistance Threats National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- Patients: Information about CRE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) in Healthcare Settings Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Food and Drug Administration
- Where Antimicrobial Resistance Spreads Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Games
- Be an Antibiotics Whiz: Test Your Knowledge about Antibiotics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Find an Expert
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Food and Drug Administration Food and Drug Administration
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Antibiotic Resistance National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci National Institutes of Health
Treatments and Therapies
- Combating Antibiotic Resistance Food and Drug Administration
- What Can Be Done about Antibiotic Resistance? Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
Children
- Danger of Antibiotic Overuse (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
Reference Desk
- Glossary (Antibiotics) Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
Learn More
- How Antibiotic Resistance Happens Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Images
- How Antibiotic Resistance Spreads Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NIH MedlinePlus Magazine
- Leading Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant Diseases
- The End of Antibiotics? Drug-Resistant Bacteria: On the Edge of a Crisis