Using Genomics to Track Global Antimicrobial Resistance

The advancement in whole genome sequencing and the application of online tools for real-time detection of AMR determinants is essential for control and prevention strategies to combat the increasing threat of AMR.

The authors identified a number of accessible tools available in the prediction of AMR determinants to support expanding to establish global pathogen surveillance and AMR tracking based on genomics. In addition, they  identified a number of preceding requirements for a successful transition such as curated AMR databases ensuring a high concordance between pheno- and genotypes, benchmarking designs, PT schemes, sharing options etc. There is however, a vital need for standardization of pipelines and databases as well as phenotypic predictions based on the genomic data.