The global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Science for intervention

Emergence of microorganisms resistant to antibacterial agents, either by mutations or by the acquisition of new mobile genetic elements, may take place irrespective of the presence of antibacterial agents. However it is the exposure to these drugs that provides an advantage to cells with the newly gained phenotype. Therefore, abuse in the use of antibacterial drugs in several settings is the driving force behind the increase of antibacterial resistance. Over the past 70 years, antibiotic therapy has been a pillar in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. However, widespread use of these drugs by the health professionals and the livestock industry has resulted in an alarming global increase in the prevalence of drug-resistant bacterial infections. Moreover, despite the urgent need to find new antibacterial products, the growth in the numbers and novelty of new pipeline antibiotics is insufficient. The health threats posed by antimicrobial resistance need to be tackled urgently, in a coordinated manner and in many different ways.

The aim of the meeting organized jointly by B·Debate and the  Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in partnership with the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and the Red Española de Investigación en Patología Infecciosa (REIPI) is to generate debate among the main stakeholders (i.e. public health authorities, regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical companies and the scientific community at large) involved in the prevention and treatment of infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria. The meeting will focus on three major themes: emerging drug resistance; factors affecting emergence and spread of multidrug resistant bacteria; and the lack of new agents to treat infections caused by MDR bacteria.