Childhood antimicrobial resistance rising globally

A world-first monitoring platform, led by Murdoch Children s Research Institute in collaboration with University of Sydney, Clinton Foundation, and Chinese University of Hong Kong, analyzed over 106,000 infection samples from children across 82 countries. The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that antibiotic resistance increased in every region between 2004 and 2022, driven largely by Gram-negative bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella. Resistance to last-line carbapenem antibiotics is projected to rise substantially by 2035, reaching 82% for Acinetobacter and 35% for Klebsiella. The team launched the AMR in Kids website to provide country, bacteria, and antibiotic-class-specific forecasts to 2035. The research highlights the urgent need for improved surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, and child-friendly antibiotic formulations. In 2021, about 840,000 deaths in children under five were associated with antimicrobial resistance. The study underscores that children have been overlooked in global antibiotic resistance surveillance and calls for targeted action in both low- and high-income countries.