drug-resistance
Drug resistance refers to the reduced effectiveness of antimicrobial or antineoplastic compounds due to evolved defenses in the target pathogen or cell population. In plant science, this concept is critical for understanding how plant pathogens—such as fungi, bacteria, and oomycetes—evolve resistance to fungicides and other crop protection chemicals, threatening agricultural yields. Additionally, plants themselves are studied as sources of novel bioactive compounds that may help combat drug-resistant pathogens affecting both crops and human health.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-07-01
A major global study found that tuberculosis killed 1.22 million people in 2023, with progress toward elimination targets falling well short and unevenly distributed across regions. Drug-resistant TB and the compounding effect of HIV continue to undermine gains, and cuts to global health funding threaten to reverse hard-won reductions.
In 2023, TB caused an estimated 9.11 million new cases and 1.22 million deaths globally, with 54.6 million disability-adjusted life-years lost.
From 2015 to 2023, TB incidence fell 19.2% and deaths fell 22.6%, but these rates fall far short of the WHO targets of 90% incidence reduction and 95% mortality reduction by 2035.
Eliminating smoking, alcohol use, and high fasting blood glucose would have prevented roughly 37% of TB deaths in 2023, reducing the toll from 1.22 million to 768,000.