ABSTRACT
Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem worldwide. Much of the antibiotic resistance
occurs among community-acquired and nosocomial pulmonary pathogens. Antibiotic resistance
may be classified as relative or absolute, which has important therapeutic implications.
Considerable misunderstanding exists with regard to the factors that are responsible
for antibiotic resistance. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics should be avoided; however,
high volume of antibiotic use alone does not result in resistance. Antimicrobial resistance
is agent specific and not related to antibiotic class. The antibiotics associated
with a high resistance potential include ampicillin, cefamandole, ceftazidime, imipenem,
ciprofloxacin, and vancomycin. The use of these antibiotics should be restricted to
prevent generalized resistance problems. The substitution on the formulary of ``vacuum
cleaner'' antibiotics, along with effective infection control measures, can eliminate
resistance problems in institutions. The key to controlling antibiotic resistance
is to selectively use antibiotics with a low resistance potential and restrict those
with a high resistance potential.
KEYWORD
Antibiotic resistance - control of resistance - antibiotic restriction
