Infections: The Emergency of the New Millennium

The New Millennium opened with alarming data on infections and antimicrobial resistance. Viral infections (SARS, MERS-CoV, Zika, Chikungunya, West Nile, Ebola virus infection, etc.) emerged or re-emerged with threatening outbreaks. However, viral emerging infections in some instances represented marginally a concern for developed countries that were just lapped by them. Currently, the new emergency is represented by antimicrobial resistance in bacterial infections, that is, a matter of extreme importance in developed and developing countries, where this issue has become a top priority for global policy makers and public health authorities. New mechanisms of resistance continue to emerge and spread globally, threatening our ability to treat common infections. The overuse and misuse of antimicrobials both in the human and animal field, and their dispersion in the environment pose a risk for selection of mechanisms of resistance of germs. Some settings, like the healthcare facilities, where the use of antimicrobials is obviously intense and infection prevention and control can be poor, represent the reservoir for multidrug-resistant organisms and, sometimes, the melting pot for pan-resistant strains.