Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

A research team led by scientists at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has developed a novel cell sensor with a barcode-like micro-channel structure that enables rapid and low-cost screening of drug-resistant bacteria. The invention could potentially be used on a large-scale in resource-limited situations such as frequent safety screenings of water, food and public facilities, as well as urgent surveys of massive samples during an infectious disease outbreak, particularly in developing countries.

While the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing, another public health threat, antibiotic resistance, continues unabated. Microbiologists and chemists from two universities in Hong Kong recently made a breakthrough in synthesizing the first vaccine against one of the most deadly antimicrobial resistant pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii). The vaccine shows good protection against the superbug in mice, indicating great potential as a vaccine for humans.

Researchers from Hiroshima University now have a better understanding of the mechanism underlying how certain bacteria can transfer genetic material across taxonomic kingdoms, including to fungi and protists. Their work, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, could have applications in changing how bacteria perform certain functions or react to changes in their environment.

“Superbug” resistant to strong antibiotics is a ticking time bomb in global public health. A joint study led by a scientist from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has traced the potential origin of an antibiotic resistance gene and identified a type of bacteria as the possible source. The team also studied the gene’s transmission mechanisms and published their findings recently, in the hope of blocking its transmission.

New Delhi – To tackle the escalating problem of antimicrobial resistance, a new collaboration platform was launched in New Delhi, India, on 11 February. The platform, initiated by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), will bring together actors from civil society, governments and the pharmaceutical industry. It could mean a major breakthrough for the responsible manufacturing of antibiotics and reduce the risk of the industry itself contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The war against antibiotic resistance requires a conceptual revision, namely design and creation of new types of degradable antibiotics with novel intracellular interactions, says Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2009) laureate Ada Yonath.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a new class of antibiotic drug candidates which has high potential to be developed into a new generation of antibiotics fighting against multi-drug resistant superbugs including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

A new high-resolution approach using portable DNA sequencers provides a more complete genomic picture of antibiotic resistance in gut bacteria.

Malaysia seeks alternative solutions to prevent and treat infectious diseases in shrimp.

Researchers reveal previously undiscovered hot spots on the surface of bacteria’s critical enzyme, which could guide novel approaches to antibiotic design.

HKBU scholars invented the world’s first multidimensional antimicrobial susceptibility testing system. The new technology can provide information about drug resistant pathogens present in patients, enabling doctors to accurately determine the effectiveness and appropriate dosage of antibiotics needed for effective treatment.

A research group at Tohoku University has made a significant discovery with positive implications for the development of bacteria-fighting drugs. The aminoacyl-tRNA site (A-site) of the 16S RNA decoding region in the bacterial ribosome looks promising for a new era of antibiotic drug development.

The large quantities of discarded antibiotics in Hong Kong’s landfills pose a pollution problem and a potential hazard to public health and ocean life, a new study by a Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) scholar says.

A new method to analyse a commonly understood route for antibiotic resistance could lead to earlier detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have identified for the first time the culprit behind the causing of broad-spectrum bacterial resistance to peptide antibiotics.

Food Safety and Technology Research Centre of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, PolyU recently found that bacteria that carry the colistin resistance gene mcr-1 commonly exist in human and various types of food and environmental samples collected from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) discovered a newly emerged superbug, hyper-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, which may cause untreatable and fatal infections in relatively healthy individuals and will pose enormous threat to human health.

Antibiotic resistance is one of medicine’s most pressing problems. Now, a team from Korea is tackling this in a unique way: using bacteria to fight bacteria.

An antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria found circulating in Jeddah’s municipal wastewater could have severe implications for public health.

Tailored combinations of antibiotics that kill microbes in different ways are a powerful weapon against drug resistance.

Certain bacteria-based water treatment systems may help prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Pilot study lays the groundwork for future non-invasive diagnosis of bacterial infections.

Researchers are getting closer to understanding how some natural antibiotics work so they can develop drugs that mimic them.

Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization and Special Representative for Antimicrobial Resistance in the Office of the WHO Director-General have presented an inaugural Distinguished Lecture entitled "Antimicrobial Resistance: Global Challenges and Ways Forward" at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

‘Non- evolvable’ essential cells can be targeted to predict and lower possibility of drug resistance

Garlic extract may be an effective weapon against multi-drug resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria associated with urinary tract infections (UTI), according to a recent study published in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science.

A team from A*STAR’s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) and the National University Hospital (NUH) has discovered new ways to enhance the efficacy of drugs used to treat respiratory system infections and antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

The Statement highlights the role that antimicrobial drugs play in today’s medical practices, as well as recent increases in the number of pathogens developing resistance to these drugs. To reduce the current major public health problem of antimicrobial resistance and avert a much worse crisis, IAP & IAMP propose a series of 10 recommendations.

Kuala Lumpur, 23 Jan - Malaysian researchers have revealed the presence of multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties taken from supermarkets and other retail shops in Malaysia. The research was published in Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science.