The list of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has been growing, and it’s still to soon to evaluate whether guidelines on appropriate antibiotic prescribing put in place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have had a positive effect.
In the meantime, cases of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus are mounting (the latest report I heard involved several cases that emerged in the Denver Broncos’ locker room) and data show that the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Propionibacterium acnes increased by 42% between 1978 and 1996.
In addition, drug resistance has become a growing problem in other areas of health care, for example in the treatment of gonorrhea, tuberculosis and pediatric ear infections.

A quick look at the problem
The FDA recently reported some alarming statistics regarding the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance, including the following:
Of the nearly 2 million people each year who acquire an infection in the hospital, 90,000 die from the infection (an increase of 13,300 patient deaths of this kind that were reported in 1992).
More than 70% of the bacteria that cause hospital-acquired infections are resistant to at least one drug that’s typically used to treat them.
In 2002, the first S. aureus infections that were resistant to vancomycin were reported.
This is just a sampling of facts that illustrate the growing problem.

Some solutions in dermatology
Subantimicrobial dose doxycycline for the treatment of acne vulgaris and rosacea is emerging as an effective treatment for at least two dermatologic conditions — and it’s a solution that doesn’t further the problem of antibiotic resistance.
To learn more about this therapeutic option and how it differs from low-dose doxycycline, turn to this month’s article “When an Antibiotic Is Not an Antibiotic” by Drs. James Del Rosso and Joseph Bikowski, which begins on page 56.

Larisa Hubbs
Executive Editor
lhubbs@hmpcommunications.com