How Antimicrobial Resistance Is Threatening the Treatment of Tuberculosis Worldwide
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.3941Keywords:
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Antibiotic resistanceAbstract
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become one of the world's most significant public health threats due to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This paper examines how the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in medicine, livestock farming, and agriculture contribute to the development of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It goes over the biological process behind antimicrobial resistance, the global impact of MDR-TB, and why low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected because of limited health care resources, overcrowding, and greater dependence on agriculture. The paper also explores the importance of antibiotics in modern medicine and food production, demonstrating why eliminating their use is not a realistic solution. Instead, it evaluates current efforts by governments and international organizations to combat antimicrobial resistance and proposes additional strategies. As antimicrobial resistance continues to increase, addressing the causes of MDR-TB through responsible antibiotic use, stronger public health policies, and continued research will be essential to preventing the spread of drug-resistant infections and protecting the effectiveness of life-saving treatments.
References
Jung, Eun Kyo, et al. “A Case of Disseminated Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Involving the Brain.” Infection and Chemotherapy, vol. 48, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2016, pp. 41–41, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4835434/, https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2016.48.1.41. Accessed 9 May 2025.
World Bank Group. "Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)." World Bank, 13 May 2021,
www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/brief/antimicrobial-resistance-amr.
World Health Organization. “Tuberculosis.” World Health Organization, 14 Mar. 2025, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis
Cox, Helen, and Jennifer Furin. “The Incalculable Costs of Tuberculosis.” The Lancet Global Health, vol. 9, no. 10, Oct. 2021, pp. e1337–e1338, https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(21)00345-4.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Tuberculosis.” Tuberculosis (TB), CDC, 15 May 2024, www.cdc.gov/tb/about/index.html.
World Health Organization. “Tuberculosis.” World Health Organization, 2024, https://www.who.int/health-topics/tuberculosis#tab=tab_1
Mayo Clinic. “Tuberculosis.” Mayo Clinic, 7 Mar. 2025, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tuberculosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351250.
Haddad, Maryam B et al. “Simple Estimates for Local Prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection, United States, 2011-2015.” Emerging infectious diseases vol. 24,10 (2018): 1930-1933. doi:10.3201/eid2410.180716
“Tuberculosis and Vulnerable Populations.” Who.int, World Health Organization: WHO, 18 Mar. 2025,www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/tuberculosis-and-vulnerable-popations? Accessed 11 May 2025.
dall, chris. “Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.” CIDRAP, 29 Oct. 2024, www.cidrap.umn.edu/tuberculosis/who-report-shows-global-tuberculosis-cases-are-risin.
CDC. “About Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Disease.” Tuberculosis (TB), 16 May 2024, www.cdc.gov/tb/about/drug-resistant.html.
University of Oxford. “An Estimated 1.2 Million People Died in 2019 from Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Infections | University of Oxford.” Www.ox.ac.uk, 20 Jan. 2022, www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-01-20-estimated-12-million-people-died-2019-antibiotic-resistant-bacterial-infections.
World Health Organization. "Antimicrobial Resistance." World Health
Organization, 21 Nov. 2023, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/
Antimicrobial-resistance.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "About antimicrobial resistance."
Antimicrobial Resistance, 22 Apr. 2024, www.cdc.gov/
antimicrobial-resistance/about/
index.html#:~:text=AR%20is%20a%20naturally%20occurring,germs%20and%20their%20resi
stance%20mechanisms.
American Chemical Society. "Alexander Fleming Discovery and Development of
Penicillin - Landmark." American Chemical Society, 1999, www.acs.org/
education/whatischemistry/landmarks/flemingpenicillin.html.
Sneeringer, Stacey. "Restrictions on Antibiotic Use for Production Purposes in
U.S. Livestock Industries Likely To Have Small Effects on Prices and
Quantities." Usda.gov, 24 Nov. 2015, www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2015/
november/
restrictions-on-antibiotic-use-for-production-purposes-in-u-s-livestock-industrie
s-likely-to-have-small-effects-on-prices-and-quantities#:~:text=Farmers%20use%20a
ntibiotics%20to%20treat,%2C%20dry%20lots%2C%20or%20houses.
McManus, Patricia S et al. “Antibiotic use in plant agriculture.” Annual review of phytopathology vol. 40 (2002): 443-65. doi:10.1146/annurev.phyto.40.120301.093927
McDonnell, Anthony, et al. “Forecasting the Fallout from AMR: Economic Impacts of Antimicrobial Resistance in Humans.” Center for Global Development, 25 Sept. 2024, www.cgdev.org/publication/forecasting-fallout-amr-economic-impacts-antimicrobial-resistance-humans.
Ayukekbong, James A., et al. “The Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance in Developing Countries: Causes and Control Strategies.” Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, vol. 6, no. 1, 15 May 2017, aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-017-0208-x, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-017-0208-x.
Meade, Birgit, et al. “Income Growth in Developing Countries Can Increase U.S. Agricultural Exports | Economic Research Service.” Usda.gov, 14 Mar. 2011, www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2011/march/income-growth-in-developing-countries.
Isaacson, Richard E., and Mary E. Torrence. The Role of Antibiotics in Agriculture. PubMed, Washington (DC), American Society for Microbiology, 2002, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559438/.
Brown, Mary Jane, et al. "Antibiotics in Your Food: Should You Be Concerned?"
Healthline, Healthline Media, 23 June 2023, www.healthline.com/
nutrition/antibiotics-in-your-food#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2.
Manyi-Loh, Christy, et al. “Antibiotic Use in Agriculture and Its Consequential Resistance in Environmental Sources: Potential Public Health Implications.” Molecules, vol. 23, no. 4, 30 Mar. 2018, p. 795. National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6017557/, https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23040795.
Hu, Yanhong Jessika, and Benjamin John Cowling. “Reducing Antibiotic Use in Livestock, China.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization, vol. 98, no. 5, 28 Feb. 2020, pp. 360–361, https://doi.org/10.2471/blt.19.243501.
“Supporting Policy Development and National Action Plans on Antimicrobial Resistance.” Who.int, 2024, www.who.int/europe/activities/supporting-policy-development-and-national-action-plans-on-antimicrobial-resistance. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
CDC. “U.S. Actions & Events to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance.” Antimicrobial Resistance, 18 Apr. 2024, www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/programs/AR-actions-events.html.
“National Action Plan to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.” Www.cdc.gov, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00031159.htm.
Boston University School of Law. "CARB-X Injects Up to $48 Million to Accelerate
First Powered By CARB-X Portfolio." The Record, 2016, www.bu.edu/law/record/
articles/2017/powered-by-carbx/.
"World leaders commit to decisive action on antimicrobial resistance." UN
Environment Programme, 26 Sept. 2024, www.unep.org/news-and-stories/
press-release/world-leaders-commit-decisive-action-antimicrobial-resistance.
Macy, Eric. “Addressing the Epidemic of Antibiotic “Allergy” Over-Diagnosis.” Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Dec. 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2019.12.016.
CDC. “Clinical Testing Guidance for Tuberculosis: Tuberculin Skin Test.” Tuberculosis (TB), 2024, www.cdc.gov/tb/hcp/testing-diagnosis/tuberculin-skin-test.html.
CDC “Tuberculosis Drug Supply Interruptions and Shortages.” Tuberculosis (TB), 8 May 2024, www.cdc.gov/tb/php/dear-colleague-letters/2023-tb-drug-shortages.html.
Downloads
Posted
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Research Archive of Rising Scholars
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
