Measuring Antimicrobial Use Needs Global Harmonization

Area of Science:

• Global health
• Veterinary medicine
• Food safety

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health and economies.
• Antimicrobial use (AMU), particularly in food-producing animals, is a key driver in the development and spread of AMR bacteria and genes.
• AMU monitoring is a critical component of global and national action plans aimed at combating AMR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the urgent need for a harmonized metric system for reporting antimicrobial use (AMU).
• To emphasize the role of tripartite collaboration among the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in addressing AMR.

Main Methods:

• This study is a conceptual analysis and review of existing AMR action plans and AMU monitoring challenges.
• It identifies the lack of standardized metrics as a primary obstacle.

Main Results:

• Current AMU reporting metrics are not harmonized across different levels and organizations.
• This lack of harmonization hinders reliable comparisons of AMU data from various sources.
• The development and implementation of a globally accepted AMU metric system are essential.

Conclusions:

• A unified, globally accepted metric system for AMU is urgently required.
• Tripartite collaboration between WHO, OIE, and FAO is essential to develop and implement this standardized metric system.
• Harmonized AMU metrics will enable more accurate data comparison, supporting effective global strategies against AMR.