LAUSR

Surveys in low- and middle-income countries reveal emerging hotspots of resistance Misuse and overuse of antimicrobial agents, such as antibiotics, in humans, animals, and plants is leading to increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is an urgent global priority necessitating international collaboration through a “One Health” response (across humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment). Efforts have focused on AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) in human infections; however, animals, plants, and the environment also contribute to AMR. More antibiotics are consumed by animals produced for food, to promote growth or disease prevention, than by humans. The increasing demand for animal protein, predominantly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and links between AMU and AMR remains uncertain, particularly in LMICs where microbiology laboratories are scarce and antimicrobial drug availability remains largely unregulated (1, 2). On page 1266 of this issue, Van Boeckel et al. (3) map AMR in animals for food production in LMICs, with implications for One Health strategies.