What is AMR and How Does it Develop?

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[PRESENTER] Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is one of the biggest challenges to public health today.

But what is it and how does it develop?

Let's find out together.

AMR occurs when bacteria develop the ability to survive the treatment with drugs designed to kill them or stop their growth.

AMR is a natural response that can develop in different ways.

Some bacteria are naturally resistant to certain antibiotics because of their unique features, like having a cell wall that antibiotics can't penetrate.

Others gain resistance by changing their genes or by sharing resistance genes with other bacteria.

Let's start by focusing on mutations.

AMR can develop continuously through natural mutations in bacterial DNA during replication.

However, mutations are not the only way bacteria can acquire resistance.

They can also share resistance genes through a process called horizontal gene transfer, where genetic material moves from one bacterium to another, sometimes even across species, and this process can amplify the spread of resistance, especially when antibiotics are used.

The use of antibiotics can create selective pressure, eliminating sensitive bacteria and allow resistant ones to survive and multiply.

This process of rapid replication and proliferation of a single resistant clone is known as clonal expansion.

The resistant clones can spread to new hosts through direct contact, contaminated surfaces, or even through contaminated food.

Proper food safety practices are key to reducing this risk.

For example, avoiding washing raw chicken and always separating raw from cooked foods can help prevent the spread of harmful bacteria in your kitchen.

But when it comes to food, controlling AMR goes beyond the kitchen and requires proper practices throughout the food production chain.

Take the poultry industry, for example.

Overuse of antibiotics and routine use of prophylactic treatments to prevent disease in poultry may increase the development of AMR, as these practices create selective pressure, allowing resistant bacteria to survive and proliferate.

In such a scenario, this resistant bacteria could easily spread through the poultry chain.

From infected animals, to the processing environment, and even to the products that reach consumers, this resistant bacteria could move along every step, contaminating equipment surfaces, products, water systems, and workers along the way.

AMR is a complex issue that affects the entire food production chain.

It requires responsibility at every stage, from farm to table, to ensure food safety and protect public health.

The poultry industry is actively addressing AMR through Antimicrobials Stewardship Programs, ensuring that antibiotics are used only under veterinarian prescription.

Producers are focusing on reducing antibiotic use, exploring alternative disease prevention methods like vaccines and probiotics, and investing in research to ensure safe practices and reduce the spread