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Fred C. Tenover, Distinguished Research Professor of Microbiology, University of Dayton

Resistance to antibiotics in northern Nigeria: what bacteria are prevalent, and which drugs work against them

It's challenging for hospitals in Nigeria to optimally use antibiotics. Getty Images

Antimicrobial resistance – the ability of microorganisms to resist drugs that have been developed to control them – is a severe problem in African countries. The continent has the highest global burden of antimicrobial-resistant infections, with 114.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

One of the causes of resistance is inappropriate use of antibiotics. Using the wrong antibiotic to treat an infection enables resistant bacteria to flourish and spread. It’s challenging to address the resistance problem when there are gaps in three areas:

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