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Preventing antimicrobial resistance and infectious diseases

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical global health threat

The World Health Organization identifies antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a critical global health threat, necessitating a comprehensive and varied response. The rise in AMR across the globe is attributed to factors such as the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, inadequate control measures, human and animal transportation, and interspecies transmission. Despite the extensive use of antibiotics in agriculture, the Netherlands has managed to keep a low prevalence of antibiotic resistance among human bacterial pathogens. However, the decrease in the development of new antibiotics over recent decades poses a risk of untreatable bacterial infections worldwide, threatening the prevention and treatment of infections in high-income countries and potentially leading to untreatable community-acquired infections in low- and middle-income countries. Research at UMC Utrecht focuses on preventing AMR in the Netherlands, understanding and quantifying the relationship between antibiotic use and AMR, developing new treatments, and optimizing diagnosis and treatment to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.

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