Antimicrobial resistance
Also called: AMR · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is when germs such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites stop responding to the medicines meant to kill them or stop their growth. These medicines are called antimicrobials, and antibiotics are the best-known kind. Each time a medicine is used, the few germs that survive it multiply and pass on their resistance. Overuse and misuse speed this up, in people, in livestock and in fish farms (aquaculture). Substandard medicines that are too weak to kill all the germs also speed it up. AMR matters because common infections become hard or impossible to treat, which makes it a major threat to public health.
Example
Fish farmers often add antibiotics to ponds and tanks. This creates AMR risks in the water and in the food chain. At Soreng in Sikkim, India's first Organic Fisheries Cluster (notified in January 2025) farms Amur carp, Indian Major Carps and trout without chemicals, antibiotics or pesticides. This cuts down one source of AMR.
Don't confuse with
- Antibiotic resistance: this is a narrower term. It covers only bacteria resisting antibiotics, while AMR also covers viruses, fungi and parasites resisting their medicines.
- Drug tolerance in a patient: here the human body gets used to a drug. In AMR, the person does not become resistant; the germ does, and resistant germs can spread from person to person.