Antimicrobial Resistance in the US The emergence and
dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms in the
health care setting represent a complex and enormous challenge
to patient-care providers, hospital and public health
administrators. Resistance has occurred to both long-established
and recently introduced antimicrobials. It has been estimated
that at least 70% of healthcare-associated infections identified
in hospitals are caused by bacteria that are resistant to at
least one drug traditionally used for treatment. An increasing
proportion of these infections is resistant to multiple drugs.
Less information is available to estimate the prevalence of
antimicrobial resistance in non-hospital settings, but most data
suggest that resistance is emerging in all health care venues. 1
Over the past decade, we have seen a remarkable increase in
resistance among important community- and hospital-acquired
pathogens, such as penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
(PRSP), vancomycin-resistant enteroco