Yoo Jin-Hong
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2025 May 19;40(19):e161. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e161.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a persistent and escalating public health crisis, often overlooked despite its severe global impact. Unlike acute infectious diseases, AMR progresses silently but relentlessly, posing long-term threats to health systems worldwide. This review examines the historical evolution and current epidemiology of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), emphasizing the global and Korean burden of MDROs. While the development of new antibiotics remains limited, alternative therapies such as bacteriophage treatment have re-emerged as potential solutions. However, challenges in access to novel agents persist, particularly in Korea, due to regulatory, economic, and market-related barriers. To counter AMR, comprehensive strategies are essential. These include infection control, antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs), and the development and proper allocation of new drugs. The One Health approach must integrate human, animal, and environmental health perspectives. Notably, infectious disease specialists play a central role in this fight: leading ASPs, shaping policy, engaging in public education, supporting research, and coordinating multidisciplinary collaboration. The AMR pandemic is unlikely to subside without systemic reform, sustained investment, and international cooperation. Urgent efforts must be made to address this hidden but growing threat. Recognizing AMR as a true pandemic is the first step toward containing its spread and securing the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations.
抗菌药物耐药性（AMR）是一场持续且不断升级的公共卫生危机，尽管其具有严重的全球影响，但常常被忽视。与急性传染病不同，AMR悄然却无情地发展，对全球卫生系统构成长期威胁。本综述考察了多重耐药菌（MDROs）的历史演变和当前流行病学情况，强调了MDROs在全球及韩国的负担。虽然新型抗生素的研发仍然有限，但诸如噬菌体治疗等替代疗法已重新成为潜在的解决方案。然而，由于监管、经济和市场相关障碍，获取新型药物面临的挑战依然存在，在韩国尤其如此。为应对AMR，全面的策略至关重要。这些策略包括感染控制、抗生素管理计划（ASPs）以及新药的研发和合理分配。“同一健康”方法必须整合人类、动物和环境卫生等方面的观点。值得注意的是，传染病专家在这场斗争中发挥着核心作用：领导抗生素管理计划、制定政策、开展公众教育、支持研究以及协调多学科合作。如果没有系统性改革、持续投资和国际合作，AMR大流行不太可能消退。必须立即做出努力，以应对这一隐藏但不断增长的威胁。将AMR视为真正的大流行是遏制其传播并确保抗生素对子孙后代有效的第一步。
