A Review on Antimicrobial Resistance and Role of Pharmacist in Tackling this Global Threat

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication previously used to treat them. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines antimicrobial resistance as a microorganism's resistance to an antimicrobial drug that was once able to treat an infection by that microorganism. Though AMR is not a new problem but it is an accepted threat to the global health worldwide. It is important to realize that we are already seeing the impact of resistant infections in everyday life for example; many urinary tract infections are becoming resistant these days. A major area of concern is multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) that is resistant to the two most powerful anti-tuberculosis drugs. AMR is also influenced by the massive increases in trade and human mobility brought about by globalization. This article summarises how AMR is a global health threat, causes and mechanisms of AMR and how Pharmacist can help to tackle this problem.