The COVID-19 pandemic brought home the importance of our relationship with microbes yet we remain in the midst of another microbial risk that threatens to have a much larger impact on our lives – that of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi or protists) that cause disease in humans, animals or plants are typically treated with antimicrobial drugs. Antimicrobial use has become routine since Alexander Fleming’s famous discovery of penicillin across public health, veterinary practice and agriculture. Since all microbes are living entities, they adapt and evolve, generating resistance to these drugs and eventually impacting on their effectiveness.

The unintended consequence of the inappropriate use of antimicrobials has led to widespread resistance, even in microbes that were previously benign. AMR can spread between humans, animals and the environment by a variety of pathways. Combined with the limited progress in developing new drugs to treat resistant microbes, there is a clear and immediate need to take action against AMR.