Suboptimal antimicrobial stewardship in the COVID-19 era: Is humanity staring at a postantibiotic future?

Oloche Owoicho, Kesego Tapela, Alexandra Lindsey Djomkam Zune, Nora Nganyewo Nghochuzie, Abiola Isawumi, Lydia Mosi

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In the absence of potent antimicrobial agents, it is estimated that bacterial infections could cause millions of deaths. The emergence of COVID-19, its complex pathophysiology and the high propensity of patients to coinfections has resulted in therapeutic regimes that use a cocktail of antibiotics for disease management. Suboptimal antimicrobial stewardship in this era and the slow pace of drug discovery could result in large-scale drug resistance, narrowing future antimicrobial therapeutics. Thus, judicious use of current antimicrobials is imperative to keep up with existing and emerging infectious pathogens. Here, we provide insights into the potential implications of suboptimal antimicrobial stewardship, resulting from the emergence of COVID-19, on the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)919-925
Number of pages7
JournalFuture Microbiology
Volume16
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2021

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • coronavirus
  • hand sanitization
  • hand washing

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