IDSA Global Health on Antimicrobial Resistance (PDF)
The development of medicines that control bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi ushered in the era of modern medicine over the last century. The new antimicrobial drugs not only curbed the toll of infectious diseases, but by improving the safety of surgery, hospital procedures and treatment for cancers, enabled medical care to which millions of people worldwide have owed their lives and longevity. Starting with the 1928 discovery of penicillin, advances in antibiotics led to an array of medicines that a 1975 New York Academy of Medicine summary described as “an embarrassment” of choices.