Affiliation:
1. Karnatak University, India
Abstract
The discovery of antibiotics was a breakthrough in the field of medicine in the late 1920s. Antibiotics have saved millions of lives ever since and even increased life expectancy. But due to their irrational use in humans, animals, and agriculture, there is a global concern about antibiotic resistance. The 'magic bullets' are no longer effective against 'superbugs', posing difficulties for the medical practitioners in treatment. The pathogens have evolved different resistance strategies for their survival: enzymatic inactivation of antibiotics, altering the movement of antibiotics across the cell, or modifying target sites that interact with the antibiotics. As the efficacy of the critical drugs wanes and the discovery of new antibiotics stagnates, exploration and use of alternative therapies could offer a much-needed solution. Researchers worldwide are constantly striving to find a solution to combat antibiotic resistance. Some of the alternative therapies and the regulatory measures to deal with antibiotic resistance are discussed in this chapter.