The global spread of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) is a major threat to public health. Fighting MDRO spread requires a multi-faceted approach as summarized in the German Antibiotic Resistance Strategy (DART). In the hospital, this includes antibiotic stewardship concepts and strict infection control measures. Treatment of MDRO is sophisticated. Within the last years, several antibiotics with activity against MRSA were launched and facilitate an individual therapy according to site of infection and co-morbidities. In contrast, novel antibiotics against carbapenemase producing Gram-negatives are still lacking. Current studies have shown, that a colistin-based combination treatment can improve the prognosis in these patients. The following article reviews MDRO definitions, burden of disease, treatment options and general strategies against MDRO.
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