Next pandemic could be caused by excessive use of antibiotics, experts say The phenomenon, called antimicrobial resistance, has been exacerbated by the pandemic, a study shows The next pandemic could be caused by the excessive use of antibiotics, which can become less effective as bacteria get used to them and develop new defences. It’s a phenomenon called antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which a new study shows has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the outbreak, tens of thousands patients were prescribed antibiotics even though they didn’t have a confirmed bacterial infection. That’s because the dry cough associated with coronavirus made it difficult to take saliva samples, while doctors and nurses avoided deep lung swabs in fear of contracting the virus.