Building knowledge and evidence base on antimicrobial resistance in Africa, through ‘One Health’ based surveillance

Abstract

Antimicrobial Resistance is threatening to upset much of the progress that developing countries have made in the healthcare domain over the last few decades. Though there are issues with the projected morbidity and mortality figures, there is a general agreement that the data collection processes need to be strengthened, especially in the context of developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The high burden of disease associated with communicable diseases in Africa, increases the overall antibiotic use and weakens the healthcare system of the continent. Even though the scale of antibiotic use may be lower than in some other regional contexts, the high burden of infectious disease makes antimicrobial resistance a priority in the continental context. In human health sector, antibiotic resistance is becoming a problem in community acquired infections as well as healthcare associated infections. This situation is fuelled by the rampant misuse of antibiotics across the African countries; and the surveillance efforts have been quite weak in this regard. Antibiotic use is increasing in food animal production too, as the continent is moving towards various intensification methods to improve productivity. Therefore the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance patterns in animal health and food animal production, has a lot of significance in understanding the potential threats to human health and food security. But for any surveillance system to be effective, especially in the context of AMR, it needs to be truly 'One Health' in its approach. The division between animal health and human health is not scientific, but cultural in its character. This has to be broken down to create a proper 'One Health' surveillance system with data integration possible at different levels.

The Governance and Implementation of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance in Tanzania: A Qualitative Study

“…Both GLASS and WHONET were identified as reporting systems used in Tanzania. A systematic review on AMR in the Central African Region highlighted that there is a paucity of data because of the poor reporting system, which is partly a result of the limited and poor surveillance system [ 45 , 46 ]. Tanzania has put in place AMR focal persons to supervise AMU and AMR and provide feedback to national-level organizations.…”

Poultry Litter Contamination by Escherichia coli Resistant to Critically Important Antimicrobials for Human and Animal Use and Risk for Public Health in Cameroon

“…This may increase the risk of exposure of antimicrobial resistant bacteria from the waste to human. Therefore, continued monitoring and surveillance of resistant pathogens across the human–animal and environmental interface is one of the best approaches for decision making and reduce AMR impact on public health [ 12 ]. According to the WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS), Escherichia coli, which is a ubiquitous bacterium, represents one of the best indicator for integrated AMR surveillance.…”

Antimicrobial Profile of Actinomycin D Analogs Secreted by Egyptian Desert Streptomyces sp. DH7

“…Multidrug-resistant pathogens are a life-threatening problem that has affected the healthcare domain over the last few decades. There is a consensus that the data collection processes need to be improved, particularly in Africa [1]. Antimicrobial resistance is related to an increase in morbidity, mortality, hospitalization time, and costs of treatment [2,3].…”

“…Antimicrobial resistance is related to an increase in morbidity, mortality, hospitalization time, and costs of treatment [2,3]. Multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the top antimicrobial resistances responsible for many antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide [1,4]. Staphylococcus aureus causes various skin and soft tissue infections, pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome, and sepsis [5][6][7][8].…”