How to tackle drug-resistant infections

Access to effective antimicrobial drugs (like antibiotics or antifungals) is critical in treating patients with bacterial, fungal and viral infections. However, there are very few new antimicrobial drugs being developed, so researchers are focusing on optimising the use of those we have.

Overuse of antimicrobials or using them for the wrong reason is fuelling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), leading to an increase in drug-resistant infections. If resistance is not tackled, the effects will be catastrophic.

The threat of fatal infection will not only make routine operations such as hip replacements and heart bypass too risky, but it could also result in simple infections needing hospital treatment, and even render many forms of cancer treatment impossible.

In this seminar, two experts talk about their latest work on tackling drug-resistant infections.