Antibiotic resistance was leveraged to the national stage this year, as President Barack Obama's administration sought $1.2 billion in funding to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the president's annual budget request.
And though the year is only two months in, a lot has happened in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Below are five stories on the topic so far this year, starting with the most recent.
1. Clostridium difficile caused nearly half a million infections in U.S. patients in one year, and directly caused 15,000 deaths, a recent study found. These infections can be prevented by improving antibiotic prescribing practices as well as improving infection control in healthcare settings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2. A documentary about antibiotic resistance, titled "Resistance" and directed by filmmaker Michael Graziano, was released for purchase online. It covers how the overuse and mismanagement of antibiotics is reaching a tipping point.
3. The lack of profitability in creating antibiotics impedes their production, even though developing new antibiotics can help combat life-threatening bacterial infections, Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, an oncologist, bioethicist, professor and vice president for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote.
4. Social and economic factors, as well as competition among physician offices and retail clinics, contribute to the overuse of antibiotics in the U.S., a recent study found.
5. Rivers and streams carry many antibiotics and can actually contribute to the rise in antibiotic resistance in the environment, according to a study out of the U.K.