Description

Without a doubt, Alexander Fleming would find a place in any list of individuals who have played memorable roles in mankind's fight against disease. If Fleming were alive today, he would be appalled by what has emerged from his discovery. Spurred by penicillin, a large number of antibiotics have been introduced in the subsequent years. The spectrum of activity of these agents has widened. Unfortunately, resistance to antibiotics is increasing: the roll call of bacteria that have become resistant, lengthens with each passing year. To add to our misery, infectious agents that did not have the power to produce disease in humans have acquired traits that make them virulent.

Despite this grim situation, complacency prevails. The medical profession and patients remain smug in the belief that research will continue to deliver drugs that can circumvent this dangerous situation. The truth lies elsewhere. Bacteria are acquiring powers of resistance much faster than the ability of pharmaceutical research to come up with new devices.

We have gone from peaks of triumphant confidence to troughs of despair in the space of less than half a century.