Drug resistance

Drug resistance is the phenomenon whereby widespread use of an antibacterial drug is followed by the emergence of strains of bacteria capable of resisting the drug.

In 1940, the New York Times hailed the arrival of

A new wonder-working chemical named sulfathiazole, the latest "relative" of the sulfanilimide group of "magic bullets," which promises to become the greatest weapon against a host of deadly bacterial infections for which no effective measures existed until now.

After World War II, the sulfa drugs were followed by the first of the antibiotics, penicillin and streptomycin. The revolutionary impact of these drugs cannot be overstated. Previously there had been an obsession with the threat of germs because infections, once contracted, were often fatal. With the sulfa drugs and antibotics, for the first time in human history, serious bacterial diseases could be cured promptly and effectively. The phrases "wonder drug" and "miracle drug" were widely used. As early as 1952, however, the Times was reporting that "physicians said today that more bacteria were developing more resistance to 'wonder drugs.'"

Bacteriologists soon found that E. coli grown in media containing streptomycin not only produced strains capable of resisting streptomycin, they actually in some cases developed strains that thrived on it and required it for growth.

In the last half of the twentieth century, a situation developed which was often described as an "arms race" between doctors and bacteria.