Research Focus: World AMR Awareness Week

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences explored how RNA repair helps bacteria like E. coli survive antibiotics. They focused on the Rtc system, which keeps RNA stable during protein production.

 By creating and testing a computer model, they found that Rtc activity varies between cells, affecting their ability to produce proteins. This variability, known as heteroresistance, helps some bacteria temporarily resist antibiotics. 

The study identified potential targets within the Rtc system that could weaken bacteria's defenses, offering new ways to tackle antibiotic resistance.

Citation: Hollie J. Hindley, Zechuan Gong, Shafagh Moradian, Maria Grazia Giuliano, Andrei Sapelkin, Ioly Kotta-Loizou, Martin Buck, Christoph Engl, and Andrea Y. Weiße, Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64759-3 

Researchers from the Usher Institute conducted a systematic governance analysis to identify all publicly retrievable national action plans (NAPs) on antimicrobial resistance.

Researchers had previously used a governance framework to assess NAPs on antimicrobial resistance available for the period of 2020–21 from 114 countries, finding substantial variation worldwide, they have since expanded this analysis to include the NAPs of more low-income and middle-income countries, to cover the period of 2021–22.

Overall, researchers found that the global response to antimicrobial resistance was greatly affected by the income level of the nation, highlighting global disparities in antimicrobial resistance governance capacity.

Citation: Patel, J., Moghaddam, S. S., Ranganathan, S., Vezeau, N., O’Neill, E., Harant, A., Stolpe, M., Wieler, L. H., Eckmanns, T., & Sridhar, D. (2025). The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1473-3099(25)00406-2

Researchers from the Moredun Research Institute have demonstrated that mammary secretions provided by sheep farmers across Scotland from cases of clinical mastitis are free from environmental contamination, in addition they have provided information on the major bacterial causes of disease and levels of antimicrobial resistance.

Mastitis represents one of most significant diseases of small ruminant production worldwide. 

Researchers supplied sampling kits to 23 farms which provided 33 samples for bacteriology, antimicrobial susceptibility testing and genetic analysis.

Researchers demonstrated that mammary secretions free from environmental contamination may be provided by sheep farmers. This survey also provided data on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance associated with clinical mastitis in sheep and will inform on the scale required for larger surveys aiming to improve current strategies for mastitis control in sheep flocks across the UK.

Citation: Ballingall KT, Tassi R, Gordon J, Currie C, Dun K, Miller N, Silva N. J Dairy Res. 2024 Nov 14:1-6. doi: 10.1017/S0022029924000517. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39539056.

Researchers from Scotland's Rural College, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Roslin Institute have looked into the pathogen which causes mastitis in dairy cattle - Klebsiella pneumoniae. 

K. pneumoniae mastitis often has a poor cure rate and can lead to the development of chronic infection, which has an impact on both health and production.

Researchers identified K. pneumoniae isolates associated with mastitis in dairy cattle. Forty-two isolates identified as K. pneumoniae were subject to whole-genome sequencing. Across the dataset, there were notable levels of observable antimicrobial resistance against a variety of antibiotics. 

Citation: Pollock J, Foster G, Henderson K, Bell J, Hutchings MR, Paterson GK. Epidemiol Infect. 2025 Jan 17;153:e15. doi: 10.1017/S0950268824001754. PMID: 39819786; PMCID: PMC11748015.

The escalating global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) necessitates the development of novel antimicrobial agents, innovative strategies, and representative infection models to combat AMR bacterial infections. Host defence peptides (HDPs) have been proposed as complements to antibiotics due to their antibacterial activity.

Researchers from the Centre for Inflammation Research conducted a study that investigated the use of the HDP-derived synthetic antibacterial and anti-biofilm peptide (SAAP)-148 in preventing bacterial colonization in skin and lung cell models.

Researchers found that used before infection, SAAP-148 effectively reduced harmful bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Combining SAAP-148 with the antibiotic halicin showed promising results in skin models, enhancing treatment effectiveness. 

The study supports SAAP-148 as a potential strategy for preventing and treating AMR infections, especially in skin tissues.

Citation: Lennard PR, Hiemstra PS, Dorin JR, Nibbering PH. JAC Antimicrob Resist. 2025 Apr 11;7(2):dlaf050. doi: 10.1093/jacamr/dlaf050. PMID: 40224359; PMCID: PMC11986330.

Researchers from the Roslin Institute examined Uganda's growing pig sector tracking 70 farmers and their pigs in semi-intensive and free-range systems for a year.

The aim was to determine whether growing protein demand increased livestock intensification, antibiotic overuse and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risk.

Researchers investigated AMR and AMR gene abundance isolated from faecal samples.

They found that pigs in semi-intensive systems were 2.2 times more likely to exhibit AMR and AMR in free-range farmers was twice that of pigs but still 1.4 times less likely than in semi-intensive systems.

The study shows that intensified urban pig production may elevate AMR risks, underscoring the need for targeted interventions.

Citation: Muwonge A, Kakooza T, Johnson PCD, Kisuule L, Kimaanga M, Kankya C, Bronsvoort BMC, Lembo T. Commun Earth Environ. 2025;6(1):517. doi: 10.1038/s43247-025-02506-8. Epub 2025 Jul 2. PMID: 40620460; PMCID: PMC12221980.

*Preprint*

The concept of resource extraction in the context of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rarely explored. In this framework, antimicrobial susceptibility is viewed as a finite resource that is depleted through the use of antimicrobials —thus, AMR represents the exhaustion of this resource.

Researchers from the Roslin Institute developed two models using causal loop diagrams to examine AMR dynamics, one based on "Limits to Growth" and another incorporating AMR surveillance instead of anecdotal experience. 

Sensitivity analyses reveal key differences in outcomes between these models. The study highlights the impact of human behavior and decision-making delays on AMR patterns. 

This novel approach suggests that antimicrobial susceptibility can be viewed as a renewable resource, promoting sustainable management and collaboration for policy engagement.

Citation: Redman-White, Carys J. Kopainsky, Birgit Muwonge, Adrian Peters, Andrew R. Moran, Dominic, 2025, bioRxiv, 2025.08.26.672312, https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.26.672312
 

The UK Government spent £567 million on tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), mainly directed towards human health. A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) review highlighted slow implementation of diagnostics, leading to inappropriate antibiotic use and missed targets. It recommends a diagnostics action plan (DAP) that focuses on swift deployment and a One Health approach, covering humans, animals, and the environment. 

Researchers from Global Agriculture and Food Systems stress the importance of promoting innovation, collaboration, and sustainable initiatives, like the ARREST-AMR Network, to advance diagnostics. 

The comment also calls for better international collaboration and transparency in resource allocation to combat AMR effectively.

Researchers from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary studies and the Roslin Institute conducted a review of more than 13,000 of studies into antimicrobial resistance – the ability of organisms to resist antimicrobial treatment – over three decades and found less than 750 concerning the spread of antibiotic resistance in air, water and green spaces. 

The bulk of these studies focused on wealthy countries, and on freshwater settings, while low-income regions and other types of environmental settings have to date been overlooked, results showed.

Researchers concluded that action is needed to address the knowledge gap to avoid letting antibiotic resistance spread in under-studied environments particularly in marine, atmospheric, and non-agricultural settings.

Citation: Deza-Cruz I, de Menezes A, Gardner B, Aktan Í, Alnajjar S, Betson M, Cabal Rosel A, Caniça M, Chambers MA, Tarrant G, Contadini F, Daramola O, de la Rivière R, Egan B, Ekiri A, Finnegan C, Gonzalez Villeta LC, Green R, Hall B, Hassan MM, Hawes M, Healy S, Holbrook L, Kaya D, Kumar P, La Ragione RM, Maupin D, Mehat JW, Messina D, Moon K, Mumford E, Nichols G, Olivença DV, Prada JM, Price C, Proudman C, Queenan R, Ramos M, Closa JR, Ritchie JM, Santorelli LA, Selemetas N, Spick M, Subbannayya Y, Surendran S, Teixeira P, Tharmakulasingam M, Valle D, van Vliet AHM, Videira M, Wallace-Williams H, Wanelik KM, Woegerbauer M, Wright S, Lo Iacono G. Environ Int. 2025 Aug;202:109634. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109634. Epub 2025 Jul 27. PMID: 40753756.