"Are non-antibiotic drugs contributing to antimicrobial resistance?"

An article in Nature discusses studies on the role of non-antibiotics in antibiotic resistance. Among the researchers mentioned is CMFI Principal Investigator Lisa Maier.

The growing global problem of antibiotic resistance resulting from the overuse of antibiotics is a cause for concern and a key focus of CMFI research. However, other drugs that are not used as antimicrobials can also contribute to microbial resistance to antibiotics - for example, anti-epileptic drugs such as carbamazepine can induce resistance, but widely used agents such as ibuprofen or the ß-blocker propranolol are also linked to the spread of anticmicrobial resistance. Particularly, the combination of antibiotics and other medications can be a major driving force of resistance development. Research must now determine whether the in vitro findings are also applicable to in vivo situations.

If it is conclusively proven that widely used medications contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance, doctors around the world must begin to take this factor into account when treating patients.

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