Definition: Antibiotic use in humans and animals is the main driver for the development of antibiotic resistance world wide. To be able to compare antibiotic consumption data, antibiotic use is expressed in defined daily doses, with the use of the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system devloped by WHO. A defined daily dose is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults.
Trends: The more exposure bacteria have to an antibiotic, the more likely it is that strains resistant to that antibiotic will arise and spread. Antibiotic drug pressure is the most important factor promoting development of drug resistance in bacteria. However, reasons for drug pressure are multifactorial. Although drug resistance is primarily a medical problem, the causes of resistance are ecological, epidemiological, sociocultural, and economic. Patients, physicians, veterinarians, farmers, hospitals, and pharmacies have little incentive to weigh the negative impact of their use of antibiotics on others, especially those in the future. Besides, there is little incentive for drug companies to develop new classes of antibiotics since that involves much greater risk and expense than producing new antibiotics that belong to existing drug classes.
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