Common antibiotics are not as effective as they used to be, researchers warn

FRIDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- E. coli bacteria's resistance to ciprofloxacin (Cipro), the most widely prescribed antimicrobial for urinary tract infections in the United States, increased five-fold between 2000 and 2010, according to a new study.

The surveillance study of more than 12 million bacteria also found that nearly one-fourth of E. coli in 2010 were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (brand name Bactrim), the second most commonly prescribed drug for urinary tract infections.

The study was published in the April issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

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