Antibiotic Resistance
Where does antibiotic resistance come from?
When antibiotics are used, non-resistant bacteria are destroyed. Often, though, a few bacteria aren͛t killed; rather, they survive and reproduce to create a population of bacteria that are now ͞antibiotic resistant.͟ Resistance is developed through changes in the genetic material of bacteria or when the bacteria obtain DNA resistance from other bacteria.
How is antibiotic resistance controlled & monitored?
Canada operates several programs that monitor antibiotic resistance: the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance, FoodNet Canada and the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System.2 These programs protect Canadian consumers by closely monitoring antibiotic resistance.