Ukraine war and antimicrobial resistance

Data on infections following war wounds during the current conflict in Ukraine have not yet been published; scant data are available on antimicrobial resistance among people with injuries. However, war wounds and antimicrobial resistance have been paired in the past two decades. The first cases of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms reported in people with war wounds were described in military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan around 15 years ago.

Eastern Ukraine has been involved in a conflict since 2014. Previous studies of hospital-acquired infections with multidrug-resistant bacteria were common in Ukraine before the 2022 invasion. Antimicrobial resistance to third-generation cephalosporins was detected in 48·4% of all Enterobacterales. Antimicrobial resistance to carbapenems was detected in 71·3% of all non-fermentative Gram-negative bacteria (Acinetobacter spp, Burkholderia spp, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia).