Worldwide microbial resistance to antimicrobial agents.

The resistance of microbial pathogens to antimicrobial agents is a crucial health-related problem. The inappropriate use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine, along with the widespread use of these agents in animal breeding and in agriculture, has favored the selection of multiply resistant microbial strains. The policies employed for the monitoring of such microbial resistance must be reviewed, and new policies designed to retard and combat the emergence of resistance must be implemented.