Antibiotic resistance as a global challenge to modern medicine: scale, mechanisms and countermeasure strategies

Almost a century ago, the discovery of antimicrobials radically changed the course of modern medicine. Previously fatal infections—pneumonia, sepsis, tuberculosis—became treatable, and surgical interventions became safe. However, today, these advances are under threat. Antibiotic resistance (AMR) represents one of the most serious threats to global public health, characterized by the World Health Organization as an already-emerging "silent pandemic" capable of reversing the medical advances of the 20th century.