Antibiotic resistance refers to the situation in which bacteria develop the ability to survive exposure to antibiotics designed to destroy them or to thwart their growth. This means that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are free to continue to grow and multiply, causing infection within the host despite their exposure to antibiotics.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20-50% of all antibiotics prescribed in U.S. acute care hospitals are either unnecessary or inappropriate. Many patients who get antibiotics for UTIs in particular actually do not have infections.