ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN BACTERIA: THE MOST DANGEROUS PATHOGENS

Antibiotics have enabled the treatment of bacterial infections like meningitis and bacteraemia, which were once untreatable and often fatal. However, in recent decades, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, along with various social and economic factors, have accelerated the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, rendering many treatments ineffective. Today, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) claims at least 700,000 lives globally each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns this figure could soar to 10 million annually by 2050 if new, more effective treatments are not developed, emphasizing the urgent nature of this health crisis. In response to the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, the WHO released a list of priority pathogens in February 2017, including the ESKAPE group (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species), which pose the greatest danger to humans.