Aminoglycoside Resistance in ICUs: Are We Running out of Drugs, for Bad Bugs

Many classes of antibacterial drugs are currently available for physicians to use, however the plan of antibiotic development has slowed during the last decade. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antimicrobial resistance as one of the 3 most important problems for human health. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem worldwide, especially in hospitals, where resistant organisms are often first detected in ICU (Intensive Care Unit). It is demonstrated that resistant bacteria are more isolated from ICUs compared with other hospital wards and outpatient clinics, and ICU stay may be an independent risk factor for acquiring multidrug-resistant strains infection. Moreover, it must be considered that ICUs patients are often colonized with multidrug- resistant strains, which often spread to other wards.