The medical literature contains numerous articles concerned with antibiotic resistance. Many describe the mechanisms of resistance, but to noninfectious disease clinicians terminology is variable and often confusing. The resistance described is relative rather than absolute, and usually refers to acquired rather than natural resistance. Relative resistance refers to the gradual increase in the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC₉₀) that occurs in susceptible organisms over time. In relative resistance an antibiotic is still effective against the sensitive organism. Increase in relative resistance is manifested by a gradual increase in MICs, and accounts for most of the resistance problems referred to in the literature and encountered in clinical practice. Absolute resistance occurs when a previously sensitive organism suddenly is no longer sensitive to an antibiotic, independent of the dose. Acquired absolute resistance to antibiotic therapy represents the most common and serious resistance problem encountered in critical care practice.<sup>13 Cunha BA: Emerging resistant organisms in the outpatient setting. Semin Respir Ther (in press), 1997.

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