The threat of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR or AR) is the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of medication that once could successfully treat the microbe. Resistant microbes are more difficult to treat, requiring alternative medications or higher doses of antimicrobials.

The ‘Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance’ (TATFAR) was created in 2009 to address the urgent threat of antibiotic resistance. TATFAR’s technical experts from Canada, the European Union (EU), Norway, and the United States (U.S.) collaborate and share best practices to strengthen domestic and global efforts in the following three key areas:

• Improve appropriate therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in medical and veterinary communities,
• Prevent healthcare- and community-associated drug-resistant infections,
• Develop strategies for improving the pipeline of new antimicrobial drugs.