Inappropriate antibiotic use in human health significantly contributes to the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with Australians being notable contributors. Better diagnostics have a vital role to play.

Reducing inappropriate antibiotic use goes hand in hand with reducing the chances of bacteria developing resistance, extending the usefulness of existing treatments and buying valuable time to research alternatives. 

The key lies in finding better ways to identify a bug and then the best treatment. Currently, about 25% of antibiotics prescriptions in hospital settings are not appropriate for use: they’re either targeting more kinds of bacteria than they need to, eliminating good bacteria as well as bad, given to patients before surgery unnecessarily, or prescribed to patients who don’t need them.  

Read the full article at AMR Action & Insights.

Produced in collaboration with STEM Matters.