Medicine & Health

Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance: Surveillance and Prevention

Published July 12, 2023 Special Issues

The emergence of pathogenic bacteria that cannot be effectively treated with existing antimicrobials has been prioritised by the World Health Organization as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity. The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is disproportionately observed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. Without intervention, it has been estimated that global deaths attributable to AMR could reach 10 million annually by 2050.

The PLOS Medicine editors, together with guest editors Timothy Walsh, Ramanan Laxminarayan and Ana Cristina Gales, present a Special Issue dedicated to bacterial AMR. This collection of high-quality research articles defines the problem from a One Health perspective highlighting the multi-faceted challenges imposed by drug-resistant bacteria, the vast number of contributing factors, the consequences for health and economics, and interventions that could lessen the burden.

Image Credit: Mycobacterium tuberculosis by CDC, Unsplash

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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004264 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Antimicrobial Resistance: Addressing a Global Threat to Humanity
July 3, 2023 Timothy R. Walsh, Ana C. Gales, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Philippa C. Dodd

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been prioritized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004262 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Understanding the impact of antimicrobial resistance on outcomes of bloodstream infections in low- and middle-income countries
July 12, 2023 Marlieke E. A. de Kraker

Marlieke de Kraker discusses a systematic review and meta-analysis reporting the magnitude and consequences of bloodstream infections in…
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10.1371/journal.pbio.1004265 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Antimicrobial resistance: Strengthening surveillance for public health action
July 12, 2023 Silvia Bertagnolio, Amitabh Bipin Suthar, Olga Tosas, Kitty Van Weezenbeek

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the top ten global public health threats, demanding immediate attention and action.
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004240 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Collateral impacts of pandemic COVID-19 drive the nosocomial spread of antibiotic resistance: A modelling study
June 5, 2023 David R. M. Smith, George Shirreff, Laura Temime, Lulla Opatowski

Background: Circulation of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRB) in healthcare facilities is a major public health problem. These settings…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004235 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Impact of antibiotics on gut microbiome composition and resistome in the first years of life in low- to middle-income countries: A systematic review
June 27, 2023 Charlie C. Luchen, Mwelwa Chibuye, Rene Spijker, Michelo Simuyandi, Caroline Chisenga, Samuel Bosomprah, Roma Chilengi, Constance Schultsz, Daniel R. Mende, Vanessa C. Harris

Background: Inappropriate antimicrobial usage is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004233 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Prevalence and clonal diversity of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae causing neonatal infections: A systematic review of 128 articles across 30 countries
June 20, 2023 Ya Hu, Yongqiang Yang, Yu Feng, Qingqing Fang, Chengcheng Wang, Feifei Zhao, Alan McNally, Zhiyong Zong

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is the most common pathogen causing neonatal infections, leading to high mortality worldwide. Along with…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004013 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Implications of reducing antibiotic treatment duration for antimicrobial resistance in hospital settings: A modelling study and meta-analysis
June 15, 2023 Yin Mo, Mathupanee Oonsivilai, Cherry Lim, Rene Niehus, Ben S. Cooper

Background: Reducing antibiotic treatment duration is a key component of hospital antibiotic stewardship interventions. However, its…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004179 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens, and prediction of mortality in hospitalized neonates and young infants with sepsis: A global neonatal sepsis observational cohort study (NeoOBS)
June 8, 2023 Neal J. Russell, Wolfgang Stöhr, Nishad Plakkal, Aislinn Cook, James A. Berkley, Bethou Adhisivam, Ramesh Agarwal, Nawshad Uddin Ahmed, Manica Balasegaram, Daynia Ballot, Adrie Bekker, Eitan Naaman Berezin, Davide Bilardi, Suppawat Boonkasidecha, Cristina G. Carvalheiro, Neema Chami, Suman Chaurasia, Sara Chiurchiu, Viviane Rinaldi Favarin Colas, Simon Cousens, Tim R. Cressey, Ana Carolina Dantas de Assis, Tran Minh Dien, Yijun Ding, Nguyen Trong Dung, Han Dong, Angela Dramowski, Madhusudhan DS, Ajay Dudeja, Jinxing Feng, Youri Glupczynski, Srishti Goel, Herman Goossens, Doan Thi Huong Hao, Mahmudul Islam Khan, Tatiana Munera Huertas, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Daniel Jarovsky, Nathalie Khavessian, Meera Khorana, Angeliki Kontou, Tomislav Kostyanev, Premsak Laoyookhon, Sorasak Lochindarat, Mattias Larsson, Maia De Luca, Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar, Nivedita Mondal, Nitu Mundhra, Philippa Musoke, Marisa M. Mussi-Pinhata, Ruchi Nanavati, Firdose Nakwa, Sushma Nangia, Jolly Nankunda, Alessandra Nardone, Borna Nyaoke, Christina W. Obiero, Maxensia Owor, Wang Ping, Kanchana Preedisripipat, Shamim Qazi, Lifeng Qi, Tanusha Ramdin, Amy Riddell, Lorenza Romani, Praewpan Roysuwan, Robin Saggers, Emmanuel Roilides, Samir K. Saha, Kosmas Sarafidis, Valerie Tusubira, Reenu Thomas, Sithembiso Velaphi, Tuba Vilken, Xiaojiao Wang, Yajuan Wang, Yonghong Yang, Liu Zunjie, Sally Ellis, Julia A. Bielicki, A. Sarah Walker, Paul T. Heath, Mike Sharland

Background: There is limited data on antibiotic treatment in hospitalized neonates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004199 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine The impact of inpatient bloodstream infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
June 22, 2023 Kasim Allel, Jennifer Stone, Eduardo A. Undurraga, Lucy Day, Catrin E. Moore, Leesa Lin, Luis Furuya-Kanamori, Laith Yakob

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) produced by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) cause a substantial disease burden worldwide.…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004211 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and its determinants among outpatient children in 3 low- and middle-income countries: A multicentric community-based cohort study
June 6, 2023 Antoine Ardillon, Lison Ramblière, Elsa Kermorvant-Duchemin, Touch Sok, Andrianirina Zafitsara Zo, Jean-Baptiste Diouf, Pring Long, Siyin Lach, Fatoumata Diene Sarr, Laurence Borand, Felix Cheysson, Jean-Marc Collard, Perlinot Herindrainy, Agathe de Lauzanne, Muriel Vray, Elisabeth Delarocque-Astagneau, Didier Guillemot, Bich-Tram Huynh, On behalf of the BIRDY study group

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where…
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10.1371/journal.pmed.1004178 CC BY 4.0

PLOS Medicine Global incidence in hospital-associated infections resistant to antibiotics: An analysis of point prevalence surveys from 99 countries
June 13, 2023 Ruchita Balasubramanian, Thomas P. Van Boeckel, Yehuda Carmeli, Sara Cosgrove, Ramanan Laxminarayan

Background: Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Many HAIs are caused…

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