NOWSHEEN HAMID BHAT AND SOFIA SHARIEF KHAN
Abstract
Antibiotics are one of the most indispensable components of modern medicine. However, the imprudent use of antibiotics in humans, livestock, and plants has led to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The menace of development and transmission of drug resistant pathogens has lead to unprecedented threats to our society, economy and public health. The drug-resistant microbes, called âsuperbugs,â either show no response or respond very poorly to antibiotics, making both routine and lifesaving medical procedures for example organ transplants, chemotherapy, bone replacements and dialysis very high risk and formidable. AMR is a natural and evolutionary phenomenon that causes the genetic adaptation of microbes, presenting a significant interdisciplinary challenge that requires collaboration among researchers and scientists from various fields to develop innovative strategies for combating this global peril. Priorities to address AMR in human health include new funding opportunities for strategic and critical surveillance of AMR-related infections and the advent of novel innovative programs, for example, involvement of artificial intelligence and bioinformatics in research and development of novel diagnostics, medicines, and vaccines to fight the surge and complications associated with antibiotic resistance.