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: Bacterial resistance to antibiotics, initially recognized in hospitals, was subsequently identified in community-acquired infections as well. Today it is a major obstacle to the treatment of infectious diseases, leading not only to treatment failures but also to increased costs.1 Recent studies have highlighted the role of the normal intestinal and skin flora as reservoirs of genes carrying resistance to human pathogens. In fact, on the basis of survey evidence,2,3 it appears that the carriage of high levels of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in the intestinal tract, even in persons who are not taking antibiotics, is something we must accept as inevitable. [horizontal ellipsis]

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