The global burden of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections

Background: Multidrug resistant bacterial infections represent a major global health threat, undermining the effectiveness of standard antimicrobial therapies and creating serious challenges for clinical management. These infections, caused by pathogens resistant to multiple antibiotic classes, are linked to higher morbidity, longer hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and greater mortality. This review highlights the global burden of MDR bacterial infections using recent epidemiological data and surveillance reports. The prevalence of key MDR pathogens including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Staphylococcus aureus continues to rise in both hospital and community settings. Low and middle income countries are particularly affected, driven by weak infection control practices and widespread, often unregulated, antibiotic use. Beyond clinical challenges, MDR infections impose heavy financial strain on healthcare systems due to costly treatment, dependence on last-line drugs, and indirect impacts such as productivity loss and long-term complications. At the societal level, MDR infections weaken trust in healthcare services and threaten the safety of routine procedures such as surgery and cancer treatment, which rely on effective antibiotic prophylaxis. Addressing this crisis requires globally coordinated strategies, including stronger antimicrobial stewardship, improved diagnostics, vaccine development, and novel therapeutic options. A comprehensive One Health approach integrating human, animal, and environmental health is essential to limit the spread of resistance and safeguard future treatment outcomes.