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AMR Awareness: Connecting Diagnostics, Data, and Stewardship to Protect Public Health

Antimicrobial Resistance: An Urgent and Growing Public Health Challenge

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent public health challenges facing the world today. Estimated to be responsible for 1.14 million deaths every year1, drug-resistant infections make illnesses harder to treat, increase healthcare costs, prolong hospital stays, and contribute to preventable deaths. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies AMR among the top global public health threats and warns that resistance continues to undermine decades of medical progress.2

The growing crisis demands action to strengthen stewardship, drive innovation, and improve patient management. Diagnostic testing plays a critical role in optimizing clinical decision-making, patient outcomes, public health initiatives, and cost-effective care delivery.

The consequences extend far beyond individuals. Resistant infections place growing pressure on healthcare systems with limited resources, complicate routine medical procedures, and increase the risk of poor outcomes across communities worldwide. As resistance evolves, addressing AMR requires coordinated action across the healthcare ecosystem.3

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing in petri dish, test for drugs resistance in bacteria

Turning Information into Action

Clinicians often face uncertainty when determining whether an infection is bacterial, viral, or caused by another pathogen.

Timely and accurate diagnostic information helps identify the cause of infection, supporting appropriate treatment decisions and helping avoid unnecessary antimicrobial use. When combined with data-driven insights and stewardship expertise, diagnostic information can contribute to more informed decision-making across healthcare systems.

A connected approach brings together diagnostic information, actionable data, clinical expertise, and stewardship programs to support patient management and help preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials.

Cover of the Point-of-Care Multiplex NAAT for Acute Pharyngitis in the Urgent Care: Detection Patterns, Associated Antimicrobial Prescribing, and Stakeholder Perceptions

2026 Study: Diagnostic Certainty Supporting Stewardship Decisions

A 2026 study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases evaluated the BIOFIRE® SPOTFIRE® Sore Throat panel in 200 urgent care patients. Researchers found that clinicians reported the test helped improve antibiotic stewardship, while both clinicians and patients reported high levels of satisfaction with its use. The authors concluded that rapid syndromic testing may help reduce diagnostic uncertainty, support more appropriate treatment decisions, and improve antimicrobial prescribing practices4

Read the Study

Stronger Together: Diagnostics, Data and Antimicrobial Stewardship

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs help ensure that antimicrobial therapies are used appropriately, improving patient care while reducing the risk of resistance. International organizations, including WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recognize stewardship as an essential strategy in addressing AMR[2][5].

Stewardship programs rely on timely information to guide antimicrobial use. When paired with diagnostic insights and resistance data, stewardship teams can help healthcare organizations monitor trends, evaluate prescribing practices, and inform interventions that support responsible antimicrobial use.

bioMérieux collaborates with a network of Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence to drive antimicrobial stewardship practices globally, bringing together clinical and stewardship expertise to support education, best-practice sharing, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Woman doctor with stethoscope looking at medical papers at her office working hard, Woman doctor with stethoscope looking at medical papers at her o

Advancing AMR Awareness & Stewardship Through Education

Discover how bioMérieux combines medical education, scientific expertise, and innovative diagnostics strategies to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship and drive meaningful progress against AMR.

Antimicrobial Resistance & Stewardship Resources

Building a More Connected Response to AMR

No single organization can address antimicrobial resistance alone. Success depends on collaboration across healthcare providers, laboratories, public health organizations, policymakers, researchers, and industry partners.

One example of this collaboration is the recent GO-Dx Leadership Summit and Diagnostic Value Think Tank, where leaders across sectors came together to advance the role and value of diagnostics in health systems and global health policy. 

While World AMR Awareness Week shines a spotlight on this critical public health challenge later this month, progress requires sustained commitment throughout the year. Together with our global partners, bioMérieux is committed to advancing awareness, antimicrobial stewardship, and collective action to help preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials and protect public health for future generations.

Citations 

  1. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021. The Lancet 2024. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01867-1/fulltext
  2. WHO. Antimicrobial resistance fact sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance
  3. CDC. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/data-research/threats/index.html
  4. Lepak AJ, Lehrer BJ, Barlow S, et al. Point-of-Care Multiplex NAAT for Acute Pharyngitis in the Urgent Care: Detection Patterns, Associated Antimicrobial Prescribing, and Stakeholder Perceptions. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2026;13(7):ofag441. [Publication] https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/13/7/ofag441/8739564
  5.  CDC. Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs. https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/hospital.html

 

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