Levy S B
Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, Boston, MA 02117.
J Clin Epidemiol. 1991;44 Suppl 2:83S-87S. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(91)90117-r.
Antibiotics are the cornerstone of therapy for infectious diseases affecting people living worldwide. The ability of these agents to cure infections, with little if any harm to the host, has helped to propagate their designation as "miracle drugs". This idea has continued throughout the past four decades and into the present one. To a large extent, this concept has led to the inappropriate use of these agents. The consequence of this misuse affects not only the individuals taking antibiotics, but indirectly others who may subsequently need antibiotics, but find that the infecting pathogen is resistant. This phenomenon results from the strong selective environmental effect of these drugs for resistant bacteria. Resistant pathogens have emerged and spread worldwide. In response to this global health problem, the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics was established. This international network of concerned prescribers and users aims to improve antibiotic use and eliminate inappropriate use worldwide. Prudent use of antibiotics will not only curtail health care costs and the potential side effects to the individual taking these drugs, but also diminish the wide ecologic effects leading to selection of antibiotic resistant forms of common disease-causing agents.
抗生素是治疗全球各地人们所患传染病的基石。这些药物治愈感染的能力，对宿主几乎没有危害，这使得它们被誉为“神奇药物”。在过去的四十年乃至当下，这种观念一直存在。在很大程度上，这种观念导致了这些药物的不当使用。这种滥用的后果不仅影响服用抗生素的个体，还会间接影响其他随后可能需要抗生素但发现感染病原体具有耐药性的人。这种现象是由于这些药物对耐药细菌具有强大的选择性环境效应所致。耐药病原体已在全球出现并传播。为应对这一全球健康问题，审慎使用抗生素联盟得以成立。这个由相关开处方者和使用者组成的国际网络旨在改善全球抗生素的使用情况并消除不当使用。审慎使用抗生素不仅会降低医疗成本以及服用这些药物的个体所面临的潜在副作用，还会减少导致常见致病因子产生抗生素耐药形式的广泛生态影响。
