This site provides an excellent and interesting visual representation of the problem of antibiotic resistance. It shows resistance patterns for various bacterial germs both worldwide and in geographic areas of the United States. You can see how common the growing problem of drug-resistant Staph (MRSA) infections has become, or how often S. pneumoniae (the most common bacterial germ in kids) is resistant to macrolides (like Zithromax): 52%. One has to wonder, then, why so many doctors in this area prescribe this antibiotic for ear infections and the like since chances are the germ is resistant to the antibiotic.
Antibiotic-resistant germs have become a major problem. They are due in large part to overuse of antibiotics, both in medicine where they are given for common viral infections like colds, and in agriculture where they are used in livestock to make flocks and herds healthier. We are now starting to see drug-resistant germs causing common infections in the communnity, instead of just in hospitals or long-term care facilities. Hopefully, reducing inappropriate use of antibiotics will help; however, efforts to do so have not been very successful. Too many doctors prescribe antibiotics for viral infections (I see it all the time in our community), and too many patients want or expect it from their doctors. Maybe educating both will turn the tide.
