Pathogenic microorganisms are the causative agents of various infectious diseases that are becoming
a major concern in the present day scenario. Antimicrobials form the category of drugs which are
used against these pathogenic microorganisms. These are one of the most commonly and injudiciously
used therapeutic compounds worldwide . Antibiotics are the class of
antimicrobials used to treat deadly infectious pathogens. Despite having several side
effects, these are the pillars of modern medicine practice, allowing us to live healthy lives.
The pace of development and approval of antimicrobial drugs by Food and Drug
Administration, USA has reduced significantly, whereas the pace of antimicrobial
resistance has increased drastically. Since years, only 10 antibiotics have been approved
and among which only two have novel targets for antibacterial action
. Under such conditions antibiotic stewardship is very crucial for
optimized selection and utilization of antibiotics.
While prescribing antimicrobial therapy during bacterial infections, accurate diagnosis, and
immediate antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) are important considerations. However, in most cases antibiotics are prescribed without knowing the pathogen, its
severity and susceptibility. In a primary healthcare setting, a physician has to provide the
empirical antibiotic treatment without having the access to detailed investigations and diagnosis.
In a hospital setting, although the clinical diagnosis and AST is encouraged but the
identification of a pathogen poses limitations due to the time taken
in the pathogen isolation process.
Antibiotic resistance (AR) has been reported ever since the discovery of Penicillin by
Alexander Fleming . Since then, there have been reports of AR alongside the
discovery of new antibiotics.
