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ORAL PRESENTATION / SÖZLÜ SUNUM

The Growing Threat of Antibiotic Resistance and Alternative Strategies

Meryem KARAPINAR * Enes GÜNCÜM
2
1,

1 Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale Vocational School, Horse Breeding and Training Program,
Kırıkkale, TÜRKIYE
2 Kırıkkale University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and

Toxicology, Kırıkkale, TÜRKIYE

*Correspound Author: meryemkarapinar@kku.edu.tr

Antibiotics, one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century, played
a groundbreaking role in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, the rise of antibiotic

resistance in recent decades has become a global health crisis that threatens the
sustainability of this success. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics, widespread use in

livestock and agriculture, inadequate sewage systems, transmission through the food chain,
international travel, and environmental factors are causing resistance to transcend

microbiological boundaries and reach socioeconomic and ecological dimensions.
Furthermore, the stagnation in the discovery of new antibacterial agents, coupled with the

diminishing effectiveness of existing antibiotics, has created a serious therapeutic gap. This
situation is not only a microbiological problem but also a multifaceted crisis that creates an

economic burden on healthcare systems, causes treatment failures, and increases mortality

rates. Data on resistant infections in intensive care units and hospitals indicates that this
problem is exacerbated, especially in developing countries. Furthermore, studies

demonstrating that animal-derived pathogens transmit resistance mechanisms to humans
via the food chain reveal that this issue impacts a wide range of fields, from veterinary

medicine to human medicine. This report examines the historical development of antibiotic
resistance, its microbiological and environmental causes, its impact on health and the

economy, and various aspects of alternative treatment approaches such as bacteriophages,

CRISPR-Cas systems, herbal compounds, and nanotechnological strategies, all in light of
current literature.
Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, Alternative treatment strategies, Nanotechnology, Herbal

compounds.

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