Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem and arises when the organism is able to evolve methods to survive treatments. The term antimicrobial can include drugs such as antibiotics, antiprotozoals, antivirals and antifungal.
Resistance can occur through a number of different processes and is of particular concern with antibiotics and antifungal drugs. Although resistance occurs naturally, the inappropriate use of antimicrobials is accelerating the pace at which it develops.
The UK Government has published a document to outline the UK’s 20-year vision on antimicrobial resistance and will contribute to the global effort through:
• A lower burden of infection
• Optimal use of antimicrobials
• New diagnostics and therapies
To support antimicrobial resistance testing, over 130 Liofilchem® MIC Test Strip (MTS) antimicrobial configurations are available from Launch Diagnostics. MTS is a quantitative assay for determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) of antimicrobial agents against microorganisms as an aid to initiating appropriate patient treatment and for identifying and studying resistance patterns in organisms.