Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance in the COVID-19 Era: Perspective from Resource-Limited Settings

The dissemination of COVID-19 around the globe has been followed by an increased consumption of antibiotics. This is related to the concern for bacterial superinfection in COVID-19 patients. The identification of bacterial pathogens is challenging in low and middle income countries (LMIC), as there are no readily-available and cost-effective clinical or biological markers that can effectively discriminate between bacterial and viral infections. Fortunately, faced with the threat of COVID-19 spread, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs, as well as infection prevention and control measures that could help reduce the microbial load and hence circulation of pathogens, with a reduction in dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. These measures should be improved particularly in developing countries. Studies need to be conducted to evaluate the worldwide evolution of antimicrobial resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, because pathogens do not respect borders. This issue takes on even greater importance in developing countries, where data on resistance patterns are scarce, conditions for infectious pathogen transmission are optimal, and treatment resources are suboptimal

WHO global research priorities for antimicrobial resistance in human health

The WHO research agenda for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human health has identified 40 research priorities to be addressed by the year 2030. These priorities focus on bacterial and fungal pathogens of crucial importance in addressing AMR, including drug-resistant pathogens causing tuberculosis. These research priorities encompass the entire people-centred journey, covering prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of antimicrobial-resistant infections, in addition to addressing the overarching knowledge gaps in AMR epidemiology, burden and drivers, policies and regulations, and awareness and education. The research priorities were identified through a multistage process, starting with a comprehensive scoping review of knowledge gaps, with expert inputs gathered through a survey and open call. The priority setting involved a rigorous modified Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative approach, ensuring global representation and applicability of the findings. The ultimate goal of this research agenda is to encourage research and investment in the generation of evidence to better understand AMR dynamics and facilitate policy translation for reducing the burden and consequences of AMR

Characterizing Shigella species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid in Latin America between 2000-2015.

BackgroundShigellosis is the second leading cause of diarrheal death globally. The global burden has been complicated by the emergence of Shigella strains resistant to first line antibiotic treatments such as ciprofloxacin. This study aims to describe the epidemiologic distribution of the most common Shigella species, and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid (NA) in Latin America.MethodsLaboratory data from 19 countries were obtained through the Latin American Network for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ReLAVRA) from 2000-2015. The Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute reduced susceptibility breakpoints for Enterobacteriaceae was used to interpret the disc diffusion tests for Shigella susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and NA. Negative binominal regression was used to analyze longitudinal trends of Shigella isolates antimicrobial susceptibility.Results79,548 Shigella isolates were tested and reported between 2000-2015. The most common isolated species were S. flexneri (49%), and S. sonnei (28%). There was a steady increase in the proportion of S. sonnei isolates within the region(pConclusionThere is an increasing trend in Shigella nonsusceptibility to ciprofloxacin and NA, including among the most common shigella species, in Latin America. This rise of nonsusceptibility among Shigella species to commonly used treatments such as ciprofloxacin is alarming and threatens the control and management of this currently treatable infection. Improved data quality, collection and reporting is needed in Latin America to respond effectively to the rising trends observed. This includes the need for quality isolate level epidemiological data; molecular data, and data on antibiotic consumption and use