Final answer:
Antibiotic resistance is a global health threat caused by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, leading to bacteria becoming resistant to common treatments, creating superbugs, and incurring significant economic costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon in which bacteria that were once easy to fight with common medicines now require different, stronger drugs is known as antibiotic resistance. This serious global health issue is exacerbated by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which have led to the evolution and spread of resistant bacteria. Factors contributing to this problem include the prescription of antibiotics when not necessary, patients not completing their prescribed course of antibiotics, and the natural ability of bacteria to adapt and survive through natural selection.
Antibiotic resistance has led to the emergence of superbugs, like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which are resistant to multiple drugs and more difficult to treat. The economic burden of these infections is significant, with direct healthcare costs reaching billions of dollars annually due to more extended hospital stays, additional follow-up doctor visits, and the need for more expensive and potentially toxic medications.
As a result of antibiotic resistance, common infections such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and bloodstream infections are becoming harder to treat. In some cases, diseases like gonorrhea are becoming untreatable with current drugs, demonstrating the urgent need for new antimicrobial agents and the improved use of existing ones.