This project was a runner-up for the "Other exceptional project" prize on our Pandemics (Sept 2024) course. The text below is an excerpt from the final project.

Executive summary 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health crisis that threatens the effectiveness of treatments for infections in humans, animals, and plants.  Although it receives significant attention in the context of global health, its relevance in the context of biosecurity and pandemic preparedness is less frequently discussed. 

This article aims to explore the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance through the lens of biosecurity and pandemic preparedness.

Basic concepts of AMR are discussed, including how microorganisms evolve resistance to drugs and how human overuse and misuse of antibiotics accelerate this process, as well as the current global impact of AMR. Its importance as a global health threat, already causing millions of deaths, and its projected future trajectory, which could result in 10 million deaths annually by 2050, will be highlighted. 

The article explores the importance of AMR in the context of pandemic preparedness by discussing whether AMR could lead to a catastrophic bacterial pandemic and how antibiotic resistance may amplify the severity of viral pandemics through secondary infections. 

It concludes that while AMR is unlikely to directly trigger a catastrophic bacterial pandemic, it could exacerbate the impact of viral pandemics by making secondary infections harder to treat. 

Improving diagnostics, strengthening surveillance, and developing robust (“pandemic-proof”) antibiotic stewardship programs were highlighted as important components to address both the slower moving threat of antibiotic resistance and the sudden emergence of pandemic pathogens.

Full project

You can view the full project here.