The growing global spread of antibiotic resistance is an urgent risk for human and animal health. Reflecting the One Health character of the problem, any human or animal can become carrier of resistant bacteria and any environment can become a potential source for spread, depending on the organism of interest. Due to the complex epidemiology, measuring the impact of antibiotic resistance is a real challenge.  

 

Frank Aarestrup is a veterinarian with a PhD in bovine mastitis microbiology, who has dedicated his research career to addressing this challenge. Initially, his research mostly focused on the association between the use of antimicrobial agents in farm animals and the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. As it became increasingly clear that bacteria do not respect traditional borders and that increased globalization means a problem in one country becomes a problem for all countries, the focus has shifted towards global spread of initially foodborne, but now also other pathogenic bacteria.

More recently, the focus has shifted to utilizing the possibility in genomic sequencing and global data exchange for improved global surveillance of AMR and potentially all pathogens. The research done by Frank, now in the role of Professor and Head of his Research Group at the Danish Technical University, has contributed to international standards for the detection and monitoring of AMR and impacted how antimicrobial agents are used worldwide.

 

In this session we welcome presentations on the role of monitoring in various One Health compartments and the role of novel detection techniques, studies on the epidemiology of microorganisms and mobile genetic elements, interventions into the spread of AMR, and molecular mechanisms for resistance.    

  

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