ABSTRACT
An antibiotic is a substance used to inhibit bacteria. An antimicrobial, on the other hand, is a substance used against microbes in general, including non-bacterial pathogens. All antibiotics are therefore antimicrobials, but not all antimicrobials are antibiotics. The ability of bacteria to survive and grow in the presence of antibiotics that are designed to kill them is referred to as antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance has been shown by studies to be a very old phenomenon, predating the discovery of antibiotics. Bacteria may develop resistance through mutation of existing genes (vertical) or acquisition of new genes from the environment, other species or strains (horizontal). Resistance, once developed, spreads through natural selection and proliferation of the resistant population. Anthropogenic activities such as widespread use of antibiotics in food-animal production, misuse in human treatments as well as improper disposal of antibiotic residues enhance the selection and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment. Such resistant bacteria are then recycled between humans, animals and the environment. Antibiotic resistance is a major global concern as it impacts health, food security and development; having direct impact on a number of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), particularly for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Nigeria, where the burden of infectious diseases, requiring effective antimicrobial treatment, is highest. The problem of antibiotic resistance therefore calls for urgent intervention.
