Mondialisation de la résistance des bactéries aux antibiotiques : le risque d’une crise sanitaire majeure ?

Abstract

The massive use of antibiotics for 60 years has been followed by the progressive rise of bacterial resistance towards them. The recent dry-up of antibiotic discovery ends up in that the evolution of bacterial resistance switches antibiotics from “miracle drugs” to the “limited resources” category of products the use of which should be preserved. Pathogenic bacteria resistant to quasi all available antibiotics are currently frequently isolated in hospitalised patients. Some which are fully resistant can be rather easily engineered and have already emerged under natural condition, however fortunately only in sporadic cases. The civil risk joins here the one that could result from a concerted attack and the means to fight both are common.