Clinicians overprescribing antifungal medications is a cause of worry in the US and could lead to resistance, warned a study published earlier this week. The researchers, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analyzed Medicare prescriptions to arrive at their conclusion.
Indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to the development of drug-resistant strains of micro-organisms such as staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These strains are difficult to treat since the first line of antibiotics is ineffective, and inappropriate management of the disease can have life-threatening consequences.
Last year, drug-resistant ringworm, caused by a fungal infection, was reported for the first time in the US. The infection from this fungal was found to be highly contagious. It is likely that the disease silently spread through the community as well and spread across 11 states in the US. This prompted CDC researchers to look at the prescription of antifungal medications, which showed its overuse.
