Antimicrobial Resistance

As Ireland’s Second One Health Nation Action Plan (iNAP2) on AMR concludes, the Microbiology Society urges a stronger role for researchers in shaping the next phase of national policy. These recommendations are based on views gathered from its community of Irish microbiologists through a series of workshops and surveys held in November and December 2024. The aim was to assess the current AMR research and development (R&D) landscape in Ireland and guide the formation of the upcoming iNAP3.

The House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee launched an inquiry on what MPs should put under the microscope. In other words, the committee called for input on the questions they should be exploring and how the government can ensure that science and technology do good for people across the United Kingdom.

The Microbiology Society has submitted evidence to the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry into antimicrobial resistance (AMR), highlighting key challenges and recommendations for strengthening the UK’s response to this growing global crisis. The Society’s response was informed by the views of its members and the wider AMR community through its ‘Knocking Out AMR’ project.

AMR occurs when disease-causing bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites (pathogens) are no longer affected by the medicines that have been developed to target them. Drug-resistant pathogens can cause infections that are difficult or impossible to treat; they increase the risk of disease spread and can lead to severe illness, disability and death.

In January 2024, the Microbiology Society hosted a series of solution-oriented, invite-only workshops dedicated to our priority solution areas: diagnostics, surveillance, therapeutics and vaccines. Read the full workshop reports here.

Last week, the UK Government published the latest five-year AMR National Action Plan (NAP) “Confronting Antimicrobial Resistance”, which aims to take the UK closer to reaching its vision of containing and controlling AMR by 2040.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a real and current threat to healthcare systems and economies across the world. Today, AMR is a leading cause of death worldwide, killing more people than HIV and malaria combined.

The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent global threats to public health in the 21st century. AMR refers to disease-causing microbes (also known as pathogens) evolving and gaining resistance to drugs and substances that were once effective treatments against infections (antimicrobials). It poses significant challenges to current clinical care, health economies, animal and plant health, as well as the environment. Microbiologists from across the world are committed to developing innovative solutions to combat AMR and reduce its impact on global health.

The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent global threats to public health in the 21st century. AMR refers to disease-causing microbes (known as a pathogens) evolving and gaining resistance to drugs and substances that were once effective treatments against infections (antimicrobials). It poses significant challenges to clinical care, health economies, animal and plant health as well as the environment. Microbiologists from across the world are committed to developing innovative solutions to combat AMR.

A jointly written response from the Microbiology Society and the Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM).

AMR is a slow-moving pandemic, which already causes at least 70,000 deaths a year globally. Unchecked, the impact of AMR will continue to grow and has the potential to become the greatest future threat to human health and well-being. 

In 2015 the United Nations (UN) adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of  targets for the world to achieve by 2030. AMR is a very real threat to achieving the UN SDGs,  particularly those associated with poverty, food production, the environment and sustainable economic growth. AMR is a naturally occurring process, whereby micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites) can change and adapt over time, either by modifying the target of the antimicrobial, or by developing and exchanging resistance genes.

Response of the Microbiology Society to the Public Consultation for the evaluation of the Commission’s Communication to the European Parliament and the Council on the Action Plan against the Rising Threats from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) (COM (2011) 748).

The Microbiology Society is a member of the Learned Society Partnership on Antimicrobial Resistance (LeSPAR), a partnership of learned societies representing 75,000 scientists that has come together to lead the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The other members of LeSPAR are the Royal Society of Chemistry, Biochemical Society, Society for Applied Microbiology, British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and Royal Society of Biology. LeSPAR published a statement in response to the approval of the World Health Organization Global Action Plan on AMR.

The Chief Medical Officer recently highlighted the urgent nature of antimicrobial resistance. Undoubtedly, the solution is a complex and international one; antimicrobial resistance is as much an industrial and innovation policy issue as it is a health concern. But we believe the problem is tractable given sufficient research effort; with the right approaches, it can be solved. We therefore support moves to develop a cross-sector antimicrobial resistance research strategy that builds on existing initiatives and UK research excellence.