Drug resistance
Drug resistance
Drug resistance (pronunciation: /drʌɡ rɪˈzɪstəns/) is a phenomenon where a drug loses its effectiveness in treating a disease or condition.
Etymology
The term "drug resistance" is derived from the English words "drug", which refers to a substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease, and "resistance", which means the ability to withstand or repel.
Definition
Drug resistance occurs when an organism, such as a bacteria, virus, or cancer cell, no longer responds to a drug that was previously effective. This can result from genetic changes in the organism that alter the drug's target site, increase the organism's ability to expel the drug, or increase the organism's ability to metabolize the drug.
Types of Drug Resistance
There are several types of drug resistance, including:
- Antibiotic resistance: This occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of antibiotics and become resistant to them.
- Antiviral resistance: This occurs when viruses change in response to the use of antiviral drugs and become resistant to them.
- Antifungal resistance: This occurs when fungi change in response to the use of antifungal drugs and become resistant to them.
- Antiparasitic resistance: This occurs when parasites change in response to the use of antiparasitic drugs and become resistant to them.
- Chemotherapy resistance: This occurs when cancer cells change in response to the use of chemotherapy drugs and become resistant to them.
Related Terms
- Pharmacoresistance: This is a form of drug resistance where a patient's disease does not respond to a drug that is generally effective for that condition.
- Multidrug resistance: This is a form of drug resistance where an organism becomes resistant to multiple drugs.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Drug resistance
- Wikipedia's article - Drug resistance
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