Diagnostics & IPC for Antimicrobial Resistance: buying time for Antimicrobial Discovery

Antimicrobial resistance is a global healthcare challenge that is increasing in urgency. Current data has shown that 1.25 million people died from AMR in 2019; however, the global burden of disease is estimated to be much higher. While governments and NGOs are increasing funding to develop and discover new antimicrobial drugs, the development of diagnosis and Infection Prevention and Control measures has yet to receive similar investment and interest. Understanding bacterial behaviour in response to disinfection and development of affordable and robust diagnostics forms part of the Joshi laboratory's research. It is important not to overlook these two areas as increasing antimicrobial stewardship through appropriate development of diagnostics, and employing IPC/WASH measures will reduce global transmission and spread of AMR bacteria, helping us to buy time for newly developed antimicrobial drugs …