Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is not constrained by local or even national borders. It confronts all individuals and populations around the world. The answer to the problem must come from all societal groups. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics—whether in homes, hospitals, communities, in animal populations, or in agriculture— can provide the additional environmental force to select for and maintain resistant strains of bacteria (Figure 10.1). The killing effect of antibiotics is so strong that only the resistant bacteria will survive. When it is the consequence of treatment, we can accept it, and it is usually transitory. But other uses of antibiotics exacerbate the resistance problem because they are inappropriate—namely, improper choice of antibiotic and length of application.
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© 1992 Stuart B. Levy
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Levy, S.B. (1992). Antibiotic Resistance. In: The Antibiotic Paradox. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6042-9_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6042-9_10
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