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Combatting antimicrobial resistance | Collections | MSF Science Portal

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health crisis, especially in countries with fragile health systems, population displacement or ongoing conflict. In 2019 antibiotic-resistant bacteria directly caused an estimated 1.27 million deaths, and contributed to 4.95 million deaths, tolls that will continue to increase if no effective action is taken.


MSF’s approach to combatting antimicrobial resistance combines three pillars: infection prevention and control, microbiology and surveillance, and rational use of antibiotics via antibiotic stewardship. Several studies characterize patterns and prevalence of antibiotic resistance among MSF patients, from civilians wounded in Middle East conflicts to hospitalized neonates in Central African Republic and Haiti. New technologies developed by MSF and partners are expanding local capacity for rapid, accurate laboratory diagnosis of infections, so that clinicians can prescribe the right antibiotic for each patient. Other work assesses the practices and challenges related to optimizing rational antibiotic use within health facilities and communities.

If you're interested in learning more about MSF's work in antimicrobial resistance, view the full list of MSF's publications on the topic.

Collection Content

Journal Article
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Research

Antibiotic consumption in hospitals in humanitarian settings in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and South Sudan

Skender K, Versace G, Lenglet AD, Clezy K
2024-08-15 • Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
2024-08-15 • Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial resistance is of great global public health concern. In order to address the paucity of antibiotic consumption data and antimicrobial resistance surveil...

Conference Material
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Abstract

Antibiogo as an innovative solution to detect antimicrobial resistance: from an operational need to a CE-marked diagnostic test available for low-income and middle-income countries

Rapoud D, Cramer E, Al Asmar M, Sagara F, Ndiaye B,  et al.
2024-05-16 • MSF Scientific Day International 2024
2024-05-16 • MSF Scientific Day International 2024
INTRODUCTION
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to public health and could cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050. Access to high-quality diagnostic tests is a key in...
Journal Article
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Review

Antimicrobial resistance in bacterial wound, skin, soft tissue and surgical site infections in Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Monk EJM, Jones TPW, Bongomin F, Kibone W, Nsubuga Y,  et al.
2024-04-16 • PLOS Global Public Health
2024-04-16 • PLOS Global Public Health
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global threat and AMR-attributable mortality is particularly high in Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Africa. The burden of clinically inf...
Journal Article
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Letter

Antimicrobial resistance in the ongoing Gaza war: a silent threat

Moussally K, Abu-Sittah G, Gomez FG, Fayad AA, Farra A
2023-11-09 • Lancet
2023-11-09 • Lancet
Journal Article
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Commentary

Antimicrobial stewardship in primary health care programs in humanitarian settings: the time to act is now

Truppa C, Alonso B, Clezy K, Deglise C, Dromer C,  et al.
2023-09-04 • Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
2023-09-04 • Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
Fragile and conflict-affected settings bear a disproportionate burden of antimicrobial resistance, due to the compounding effects of weak health policies, disrupted medical supply chains...
Journal Article
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Research

Practices and challenges related to antibiotic use in paediatric treatment in hospitals and health centres in Niger and Uganda: a mixed methods study

Mambula G, Nanjebe D, Munene A, Guindo O, Salifou A,  et al.
2023-07-11 • Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
2023-07-11 • Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
BACKGROUND
Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health problem and is responsible for high mortality in children and new-borns. Strengthening the rational use of antibiotics...
Journal Article
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Research

When first line treatment of neonatal infection is not enough: blood culture and resistance patterns in neonates requiring second line antibiotic therapy in Bangui, Central African Republic

Nebbioso A, Ogundipe OF, Repetto EC, Mekiedje C, Sanke-Waigana H,  et al.
2021-12-13 • BMC Pediatrics
2021-12-13 • BMC Pediatrics
BACKGROUND
Infectious diseases account for the third most common cause of neonatal deaths. Globally, antibiotic resistance (ABR) has been increasingly challenging neonatal sepsis tre...
Journal Article
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Review

The socioeconomic burden of antibiotic resistance in conflict-affected settings and refugee hosting countries: a systematic scoping review

Kobeissi L, Menassa M, Mousally K, Repetto EC, Soboh I,  et al.
2021-04-06 • Conflict and Health
2021-04-06 • Conflict and Health
BACKGROUND
Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a major global threat. Armed and protracted conflicts act as multipliers of infection and ABR, thus leading to increased healthcare and soci...
Journal Article
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Commentary

The Mini-Lab: accessible clinical bacteriology for low-resource settings

Natale A, Ronat JB, Mazoyer A, Rochard A, Boillot B,  et al.
2020-06-01 • Lancet Microbe
2020-06-01 • Lancet Microbe

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Snakebite envenoming: a neglected health crisis

Snakebite envenoming: a neglected health crisis

Every year 2 million or more people fall victim to snakebite envenoming, mostly in poor, rural communities of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Between 83,000—138,000 of them die, while hundreds of thousands more suffer debilitating long-term complications or disabilities.


Although some antivenom medicines are highly effective when used promptly and appropriately, many snakebite victims get no treatment at all. Those who do may receive antivenoms which don’t work against the type of snake that bit them, or were not rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness.


To mark World Snakebite Awareness Day on September 19th, the Collection linked below brings together recent MSF work on this highly neglected disease. Several articles and conference presentations help fill evidence gaps on the burden of disease and its impacts or on treatment outcomes with specific antivenoms. Others examine how to tackle the formidable challenges of availability and affordability, the absence of regulatory oversight for making, testing and registering antivenoms, and the anemic R&D pipeline for new products—all of which impede access for patients to safe, effective treatment tailored to local snake species.

TB Union Conference 2022

TB Union Conference 2022
Innovation in preventing, diagnosing and treating drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) cannot come fast enough—especially given the ground lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and with only 1 in 3 people who have DR-TB now receiving care. The content collection linked below offers a snapshot of recent TB work by MSF and collaborators to help change this picture. The TB-PRACTECAL and endTB studies have delivered clear evidence for shorter, safer, more effective treatments against drug-resistant (DR)-TB. Faced with the many hurdles that lie ahead before these and other critical interventions can be widely accessible, other studies investigate patient/family-based models of care adapted to complex settings and neglected groups, including children. Last, several authors explore limited but potentially important options for expanding diagnosis and preventive treatment.
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Advancing Research to Improve NTD Treatments in Children by Saschveen Singh

Dr. Saschveen Singh is a tropical infectious disease advisor for MSF. Read more of MSF's recent work on neglected tropical diseases in pediatric populations, and of Dr. Singh's work at MSF.

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Combatting antimicrobial resistance

Combatting antimicrobial resistance