Antibiotic resistance: a rundown of a global crisis Bilal Aslam,1 Wei Wang,2 Muhammad Imran Arshad,3 Mohsin Khurshid,1,4 Saima Muzammil,1 Muhammad Hidayat Rasool,1 Muhammad Atif Nisar,1 Ruman Farooq Alvi,1 Muhammad Aamir Aslam,2 Muhammad Usman Qamar,1 Muhammad Khalid Farooq Salamat,5 Zulqarnain Baloch6 1Department of Microbiology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 2NHC Key Laboratory of Food Safety Risk Assessment, China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China; 3Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 4College of Allied Health Professionals, Directorate of Medical Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan; 5Neurobiology Division, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; 6College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China Abstract: The advent of multidrug resistance among pathogenic bacteria is imperiling the worth of antibiotics, which have previously transformed medical sciences. The crisis of antimicrobial resistance has been ascribed to the misuse of these agents and due to unavailability of newer drugs attributable to exigent regulatory requirements and reduced financial inducements. Comprehensive efforts are needed to minimize the pace of resistance by studying emergent microorganisms, resistance mechanisms, and antimicrobial agents. Multidisciplinary approaches are required across health care settings as well as environment and agriculture sectors. Progressive alternate approaches including probiotics, antibodies, and vaccines have shown promising results in trials that suggest the role of these alternatives as preventive or adjunct therapies in future. Keywords: antibiotics, multidrug resistance, evolution, alternative therapies