Let’s start with antibiotic resistance — the dangers of antibiotic resistance are two-fold. First, it can make infections more difficult to treat. When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, those antibiotics are no longer effective at treating infections caused by that bacteria. This can lead to longer-lasting and more severe infections.
Second, organisms with antibiotic resistance, like MDR-TB, can spread from person to person. When someone has an infection that is resistant to antibiotics, they can — sometimes easily — pass that infection on to other people.
The dangers of antimicrobial resistance are similar to the risks of antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is a broader term, encompassing resistance to drugs that treat infections caused by other microbes, such as parasites, viruses, and fungi. Antimicrobial resistance can make infections more difficult to treat, and it can also spread from person to person. However, antimicrobial resistance has a larger impact as it includes infections like Candida auris, Aspergillus fumigatis, and Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria)
This means that antimicrobial resistance can potentially make infections very difficult or even impossible to treat. Both antibiotic and antimicrobial outcomes have serious consequences for public health.