Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is when a strain of bacteria or fungi is not affected by an antibiotic, as such the bacteria or fungi in question can colonise tissues and cause disease in the presence of antibiotics. This is becoming an increasing problem in many infections and some strains have developed multiple drug resistance meaning they are resistant to a range of different antibiotic treatments and combinations. An example of such a virus is MRSA (methicillin-restistant Staphylococcus aureus) which is very difficult to treat and is causing increasing problems in places such as hospitals where open wounds are present and many of the patients have weakened immune systems. They are therefore more vulnerable to infection.