Antibiotic resistance poses urgent threat to clinical treatments

Antibiotic resistance has become a critical contemporary health issue, impacting hospital practices and global treatment protocols. Specialist Dr. Tuğba Kızılok Erdoğan from the Medicana Health Group Infectious Diseases Department warns that the primary risk is not just the failure to discover new drugs, but the inability to deliver the correct treatment to patients quickly enough.

Resistant microorganisms pose a threat beyond standard infection treatments, complicating surgical interventions, organ transplants, and chemotherapy processes. The current rate of resistance increase is reportedly outpacing the development of new antibiotics.

In clinical settings, particularly intensive care units, the timing of intervention is vital. While empirical treatments may fail against resistant bacteria, the overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics to combat resistance can disrupt microbiome balance and foster even more resistant strains. Experts suggest integrating PCR-based rapid molecular diagnostic systems with classical culture methods to save critical time in clinical applications.