Antimicrobial Resistance

Resistance to antimicrobial drugs poses a serious risk to the progress made in global health in the past decades.

Antibiotic resistance is an important global public health challenge and threatens our ability to treat infectious diseases. Resistance to first-line drugs also increases health care costs, since infections last longer (more days at the hospital) and become more expensive to treat.

Antimicrobial resistance is a natural process by which microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and other pathogens) develop resistance to the drugs used to fight them. The abuse and misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs favours the development and spread of resistant microorganisms, and generates the need for alternative treatments that are effective against such pathogens. However, the number of new approved drugs is declining, with only three new antibiotics receiving approval in the last 30 years.

Antimicrobial resistance also concerns other, non-bacterial diseases. Resistance of the malaria parasite to the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrethamine is widespread in most countries where malaria is endemic; in addition, the emergence of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum parasites has been reported in South-East Asia. Resistance is also an increasing concern in the treatment of HIV infection due to the rapid increase in the availability of antiretroviral therapy in recent years.  

Fighting resistant pathogens requires responsible action and participation of all members  of society. Importantly, we need to:  

• strengthen current systems for tracking and monitoring antibiotic resistance 
• ensure access to quality-assured essential drugs and promote the rational use of antibiotics in both humans and animals  
• improve the prevention and control of infections
• promote research, innovation and development of new tolos (antibiotics, vaccines, etc.) 

ISGlobal's Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative was designed to help to fight the growing emergence and spread of pathogens resistant to antimicrobial drugs from a multidisciplinary approach through the institute's core activities: research, training, technical assistance and analysis.

In January 2026, the Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative was officially concluded in order to be integrated into the Global Viral and Bacterial Infections programme. In this way, the expertise and knowledge generated through the initiative will be applied more broadly, with a clear objective: to use scientific evidence as a lever to generate positive and transformative impact in society.

Highlighted Projects of the Initiative

Although the Antimicrobial Resistance Initiative has been integrated into the Global Viral and Bacterial Infections programme, ISGlobal continues to prioritise antimicrobial resistance and is currently involved in projects such as the SAFE project (Superbug Awareness For Education), which delivers a series of Service-Learning workshops that train teachers and university students to educate secondary school students on antimicrobial resistance (a “train-the-trainer” approach), while also raising awareness of the serious threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and the importance of discovering antibiotic-producing microorganisms.

ISGlobal also participates in the ENDÈMIC project, a citizen science initiative combining ethnobotany and microbiology to experimentally validate the antiseptic properties of local flora through bacterial cultures, and in the AMREDUCare project, which develops educational materials for healthcare professionals aimed at reducing the spread of and exposure to antimicrobial resistance.

In addition, the AMR Initiative organised annual campaigns and developed activities and events for the general public during the World AMR Awareness Week (held during the third week of November), promoted by the World Health Organization.