Take antibiotics responsibly!

The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, in other words the ability of bacteria to resist the action of an antibiotic, has become a recognised global problem. Antibiotic resistance severely limits the number of antibiotics available for the treatment of diseases.

Each year, 30 EU/EEA countries report data on antimicrobial resistance to the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) and on antimicrobial consumption to the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption network (ESAC-Net). Both networks are hosted at ECDC.

Antibiotics be responsible

Follo

w your doctor’s advice on how and w

hen to use antibiotics

EAAD is marked on 18 November to pr

omot

e pr

uden

t ant

ibiotic use. Follow #EAAD

antibiotic.ecdc.europa.eu

Antib

iotic

s CA

NNOT t

reat virus infections such as colds and flu

Taking antibiot

ics m

ay g

ive

you s

ide-effects such as diarrhoea

New classes of antibiotics

Sulfonamides

1930s

Chloramphenicol

Tetracyclines

Macrolides

Glycopeptides

1950s

1960s

Streptogramins

Quinolones

Lincosamides

1970s

Trimethoprim 1980s

1990s

2010s

Aminoglycosides

Beta-lactams

1940s

2000s

Lipopeptides

Oxazolidinones

Antibiotic resistance

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Fluoro-quinolones

19.3%

Resistance

Aminopenicillins

57.2%

Resistance

Escherichia coli

Third-generation cephalosporins

Klebsiellapneumoniae

30.3%

Resistance

Macrolides

14.6%

Resistance

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Meticillin

16.8%

Resistance

Staphylococcus aureus

Aminoglycosides (high-level)

Enterococcusfaecalis

32.2%

Resistance

Infections due to these multidrug-resistant bacteria in the

EU result in extra healthcare costs each year of at least:

Use in humans

Use in animals...in hospitals

countries reported a significant

decrease inconsumption

60 Carbapenem

s

countries reported a significantincrease inconsumption

Antibiotic consumption

x3.4Country with the highest consumption

Country with the lowest consumption

...in the community

Antibiotics are frequently used inappropriately or when they are not needed in both humans and animals. Improving antibiotic use is the most important action needed to greatly slow the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Only 70 years after the introduction of antibiotics, we are facing the possibility of a future without effective antibiotics for several types of bacteria.

Consequences for hospital patients include delayed administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy, longer length of stay, higher healthcare costs and poor patient outcomes.

Each year, about 25 000 patients die in the EU from an infection caused by these drug-resistant bacteria.

Resistance occurs naturally and is developed through selective pressure, mutation and gene transfer.

Antibiotic consumption varies widely from country to country.