Antibiotic resistance is forcing doctors to use increasingly complex treatments to save lives. Guests of the program National Consensus on Realitatea TV warned that treatments are becoming longer and more complicated, while antibiotic resistance increases mortality, especially among critically ill and immunocompromised patients infected with highly resistant microorganisms.
Olga Sofronie, a microbiologist at the Republican Clinical Hospital, said doctors have shifted from narrow spectrum treatments to combined therapies that use multiple antibiotics to achieve results.
“We combine or apply new, latest generation treatments that work against multidrug resistant bacteria. Each class of antibiotic acts differently. One destroys the bacterial cell wall, another enters the cell and inhibits protein or DNA synthesis. Together, they create a cumulative, synergistic antimicrobial effect that destroys the microorganism,” Olga Sofronie said.
Olga Burduniuc, Deputy Director of the National Agency for Public Health, stressed that bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is a natural process but improper use of medicines has accelerated it.
“The most serious mistake is taking antibiotics without a doctors recommendation, including for viral infections. People use leftover medicines from previous treatments or borrow them from others. Another major problem is stopping treatment early or ignoring medical instructions. These practices directly contribute to antibiotic resistance,” Olga Burduniuc said.
Every year, more than one million people die and millions more spend longer periods in hospitals because previously effective antimicrobial treatments no longer work. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major challenge for modern medicine. The use of antibiotics without prescriptions, too frequently, or in incorrect doses weakens their effectiveness. Excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture and contamination of water and food with antimicrobials also accelerate the spread of resistance.