FEATURE TACKLING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
Widespread use of antibiotics in livestock farming can be an alternative to the diagnosis, targeted treatment and prevention of disease in individual animals, flocks and herds.
best practices to reduce development and spread of resistant bacteria in the food chain; thereby keeping our antibiotics working for both animals’ and humans’ benefit.
Combatting antibiotic resistance isn’t easy, and it
will take the hard work of researchers, policymakers, clinicians and individuals to keep the bugs at bay. But we’re not powerless. When it comes to antibiotic resistance, knowledge is power. The more we understand this problem, the better equipped we are to fix it and together, we can make a difference. The UK is a world-leader in antibiotic resistance research, supporting a huge variety of research in the field. This is a complex problem, which requires complex solutions, and the multifaceted nature of UK research reflects this. There’s no single magic bullet when it comes
However, to design effective approaches to reducing antibiotic prescribing for care home residents we need to understand more about how, when and why they get prescribed, from the perspectives of nurses, carers, GPs, and residents and their relatives.
Antimicrobial resistance as a social dilemma: Approaches to reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use in acute medical patients internationally, University of Leicester ES/P004784/1 Attempts to change the ways antibiotics are
prescribed, to tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance, have met with variable success. This is partly because the prescription of antibiotics is influenced by many social, cultural and organisational factors, and those prescribing antibiotics have to balance competing interests, values and short- and long-term benefits when making decisions. By comparing attitudes to prescribing antibiotics in England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa this study will consider and predict the influence of different contextual factors on various attempts to change the ways antibiotics are prescribed.
Corporate food retailers, meat supply chains and the responsibilities of tackling antimicrobial resistance, Newcastle University, ES/P011586/1 This project makes a path-breaking contribution
to the agenda for tackling AMR by focusing scoping research and significant networking events on a link that has so far been missing from academic and policy debate – the pivotal role of corporate food retailers. The aim of the project is to address the responsibility of retailers in tackling the antimicrobial resistance challenge in the context of their chicken and pork supply chains, and to investigate this evolving role and how it might be shaped in the future, in the UK and at a global scale. Antibiotics are essential for treating animal diseases and maintain animal welfare. However, use of antibiotics – whether in animals or in humans – will encourage development of resistant bacteria. Meaningful and sustainable changes are needed to ensure diligence from farm to fork, promoting
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to resistance, and we’ll need to draw on the efforts of policymakers, clinicians and individuals if we want to see profound, long-term improvement. But if we are to overcome the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance, we’ll need a unified approach that draws on an array of innovative and pioneering research. n
Cross-council activity to fight resistance Assessing Agriculture
One of the most discussed issues in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis is the use of antibiotics in agriculture. Since the 1950s, animal feed in Europe has contained traces of these drugs. The idea is that livestock is pre-emptively protected from infection by ingesting antibiotics on a regular basis. The widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture has led to increased rates of resistant bacteria, the question is: what sort of effect does that on humans?
Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC) and Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), researchers from the University of Bristol are looking into the ways AMR bacteria in cattle could cause resistance in humans. It’s hoped that, in time, the research will help to shed light on this complex issue.
A Global Policy Perspective
Co-funded by ESRC, BBSRC and MRC, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will look into AMR policy in Pakistan. The work focusses on the role of policymaker’s perceptions in shaping the wider approach to AMR. Researchers will look at a variety of social issues, including how AMR policy can be social constructed or influenced by other factors, such as power relations and various contextual issues. In the long term, the research seeks to impact on policymaking initiatives in low and middle income countries, helping to develop responses for responsible antimicrobial use.
Developing Diagnostics
When someone becomes ill, we have no easy way of telling whether or not they’re infected with an easily-treatable strain of pathogen or a so-called ‘superbug’. Currently, if a clinician suspects that their patient is infected with a superbug, they have to send it off for laboratory analysis. This can take up to three days, during which time the infection can develop and worsen.
But Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council- supported scientists are developing a device that can detect drug-resistant bugs and influenza in just three hours. The device, called Genalysis, uses samples from patients’ DNA to quickly diagnose the infection, allowing clinicians to respond quickly and provide their patients with the right course of treatment. n
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