Part I Antimicrobial resistance: Bacterial pathogens of dermatologic significance and implications of rising resistance

Abstract

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been the defining global health crisis of our time, public health officials have been sounding the alarm of another ominous threat for years: an impending antimicrobial resistance crisis. In dermatology, antibiotics are often used for prolonged courses in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections and common inflammatory skin conditions, increasing the risk of microbiome alteration and antibiotic-related adverse effects, all while exerting consequential selective pressures on both pathogenic and bystander bacteria. In this review, we hope to raise awareness of the crisis of antimicrobial resistance and review resistance concerns related to dermatology-relevant bacterial pathogens.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial resistance; bacteria; clindamycin-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes; dermatology; drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa; resistant Cutibacterium acnes.