Critical Importance of a One Health Approach to Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex, multifaceted problem that threatens human and animal health, the global economy, and national and global security. In the USA, an estimated 2 million drug-resistant infections occur annually, accounting for 8 million extra hospital days, 23,000 deaths, and $20 billion in direct healthcare costs (Hughes 2011; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013). Worldwide, AMR is increasing (Klein et al. 2018); if current trends continue unabated, there could be as many as 10 million annual AMR-associated deaths from a wide array of infections by 2050 (Review on Antimicrobial Resistance 2016). The World Health Organization (WHO) has included AMR as one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019 (World Health Organization 2019).