Final answer:
Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of microorganisms to resist the effects of drugs, making standard treatments ineffective, leading to persistent infections and increasing the risk of spread. Factors contributing to AMR include overuse and misuse of drugs, inappropriate prescribing, and patient noncompliance with treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of microorganisms to resist antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics. AMR not only makes it difficult to treat what should be manageable infections but also increases the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death. Microorganisms develop resistance through various mechanisms, including genetic mutations and acquiring resistance genes from other microorganisms. Overuse and misuse of antimicrobials, inappropriate use, subtherapeutic dosing, and patient noncompliance with treatment regimens are key factors accelerating drug resistance.
This has serious implications for modern medicine, making previously treatable infections difficult to manage and increasing the prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains, such as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and MRSA. To combat AMR, it's critical to use antimicrobial agents responsibly, complete prescribed courses of treatment, and focus efforts on developing new treatment strategies.