From the Editor in Chief

Imagine a world without antibiotics: a simple wound could be fatal, common infections would result in countless deaths, and maternal and childhood mortality rates would rise considerably. Cancer management would be drastically changed because of an inability to prevent and treat secondary infections. Immunosuppressive treatments would be life-threatening. Surgeries would become a last resort, and organ transplants would be a thing of the past. These were realities in the pre-antibiotic era. These are legitimate concerns for the future, as some have predicted the "post-antibiotic era," when our ability to use antimicrobials to prevent and treat infections has been lost through resistance.

A complete loss of antimicrobials is not on the horizon, so we are not truly approaching a post-antibiotic period; however, countless people and animals die from antimicrobial resistant pathogens, and these numbers continue to rise. It has been estimated that antibiotic resistance in humans will result in 300 million premature deaths, with an economic impact of up to $100 trillion by 2050. The impact on animals isn't known, but it would be substantial. The impact on the practice of veterinary medicine and on livestock production would be profound.

Imagine practicing without antibiotics, whether it's because they are no longer effective or because access to them has been restricted. This unthinkable scenario should underscore the importance of antibiotic stewardship. The World Health Organization has declared November 13-19 to be World Antibiotic Awareness Week. Although our awareness should be 365 days per year, I encourage you to take a moment during this week to think about how important these drugs are for our patients and ourselves, and what we can do to help preserve the miracle of antibiotics.

J. Scott Weese,
DVM, DVSc, DACVIM, Editor in Chief, Clinician's Brief