What is Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one the biggest public health threats, it is a natural process that has been accelerated by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans and animals, as well as the environment. AMR caused around 1.27 million deaths in 2019 and is predicted to cause 8 million deaths a year by 2050 if action is not taken to properly address and mitigate the problem. Antibiotic resistance is something many are familiar with, most of us know for instance to make sure we finish a course of antibiotics in full to help prevent the risk of bacteria developing resistance. However antimicrobial resistance also encompasses antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic medicine. The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens threatens the efficacy of drugs used to treat common infections and other life-saving treatments.
Drug resistance is being seen across bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. For example, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major concern, while common infections like E.coli caused UTIs are seeing resistance to common antibiotics like fluoroquinolones and ampicillin. TB is also a significant contributor to antimicrobial resistance, with a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strain already threatening a global health crisis. Regarding fungi, WHOs fungal priority pathogen includes a review of drug-resistant fungi, one of particular concern is Candida auris, which has experienced a spread of multi-drug resistance. Furthermore, drug resistant parasites threaten our ability to control malaria, and HIV drug resistance affects the ability of antiretroviral drugs to block viral replication.
Antimicrobial resistance is a problem affecting humans, animal and the environment, exacerbated by overuse in clinical and agricultural settings, and through the spread of resistant pathogens in wastewater and run off from places like hospitals and farms. This blog looks at AMR awareness week in the context of SDG 3 and therefore focuses on highlighting content from across Springer Nature relating to the human aspects of AMR. (AMR awareness plays a part in many SDG 3 targets, in particular targets 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4).
Collections:
There are many collections across Springer Nature that aim to bolster research on antimicrobial resistance, below is only a small sample of collections (some open for submissions, some past collections) on this topic.
- European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases welcomes submissions on Combatting multi-drug resistant bacteria with phages: new developments, new perspectives and Recent developments on beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations: susceptibility evaluation and resistance mechanisms
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control’s open collection asks What is new in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia? See also their recently closed collection on Preventing infection in neonatal care units.
- Submit research on MRSA to BMC Infectious Diseases collection on Staphylococcal infections
- Npj antimicrobials and resistance is calling for papers on Cracking the code of AMR: resistance genomics
- See research on Antimicrobial resistance and the microbiome published in
- Discover research from a Nature Communications collection in partnership with the Fleming Initiative: Antimicrobial resistance: a silent pandemic.
ISRCTN Registered Clinical Studies
An ISRCTN registered study looks at antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections caused by viruses. The study aims to understand why antibiotics may be prescribed for respiratory infections and what characteristics of a theoretical new diagnostic test would be important in helping to tell the difference between viral and bacterial infections, to curb the overuse of antibiotics in this setting. Similarly, another ISRCTN registered study aims to reduce the number of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions for upper respiratory tract infections and diarrhoea, by assessing the effectiveness of training, manuals and desk guides for healthcare professionals in rural health centres in Pakistan.
Book Chapters:
‘Principles for Correct Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis and Antibiotic Therapy’ a chapter in ‘Infections in Surgery’ discusses important considerations when prescribing antibiotics across the surgical pathway to help prevent adverse effects like antimicrobial resistance. The chapter discusses the balance between offering optimal antibiotic therapy for patients and preserve the efficacy of antibiotics and minimising the development of resistance. Another chapter ‘Antimicrobial Stewardship in Surgery’ within the same book discusses the aims of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). The main aim of AMS is to achieve the best clinical outcomes related to antibiotics, with secondary objectives that include minimising the impact on antimicrobial resistance. The chapter provides recommendations on how these can be achieved.
Research Communities Blogs:
Yana Wang and colleagues have written a Behind the Paper blog summarising their research which uses the concept of One Health to present an up-to-date genetic atlas of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella. They outline valuable information for understanding the transmission dynamics and evolutionary trajectories of Salmonella, and note the alarming rise in resistance to fluoroquinolones, a class of antibiotics critical for treating severe salmonellosis.
This blog from Jacinta Pinho and colleagues describes the aims, methods and results of the authors systematic review ‘Evaluation of guidelines on antimicrobials use in food-producing animals: a systematic review’. The authors look at AMR from a One Health perspective and analyse guidelines across different countries on antimicrobial use in livestock to identify their strengths and weaknesses and their compliance with international recommendations. One Health recognises the interconnectedness of the health of humans, animals, and the environment. Understanding how antimicrobial use can be made more sustainable and effective in livestock can impact AMR in humans.