The refusal of the Society to accept antibiotic toxicity: missing opportunities for therapy of severe infections

Abstract Over the last decade the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in bacteria has led to a new fear in the scientific and medical communities as well as among members of the general public. Due to the lack of development of new antibiotics, there is a need to reconsider old drugs or dosages rejected because of their toxicity. As a society, if we tolerate the potential toxicity of other drugs, such as anticancer drugs, why do we refuse to accept the use of toxic but effective antibiotics in life-threatening infections? The aim of this review is to provide insight into the reasons why the medical community remains unjustifiably unwilling to accept the risk of toxicity and the adverse effects of antibiotics that, nonetheless, might be required to treat severe infections, including those due to multidrug-resistant bacteria.