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One Health interprofessional stewardship to combat antimicrobial resistance

Nature Medicine volume 29, pages 512–513 (2023)Cite this article

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Multidrug-resistant organisms are a growing concern, threatening the effectiveness of life-saving antimicrobials around the world. Those that are considered “urgent threats” by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are found in both humans and animals, illustrating the importance of a One Health approach to mitigating antimicrobial resistance1,2,3. Antimicrobial stewardship is the coordinated effort to optimize the use of antimicrobials to minimize adverse events, excess costs and the development of resistance while improving health outcomes. To date, most veterinary antimicrobial stewardship efforts have focused on food animal medicine, rather than companion animal medicine, since the largest volume of antimicrobials is used in animal agriculture. Importantly, however, studies increasingly recognize that resistant bacteria can be transmitted between companion animals, such as dogs and cats, and their human owners, and that pets can act as a reservoir for multidrug-resistant organisms that affect human health4,5. Given this evidence and the use of similar antimicrobials in human medicine and companion animal veterinary medicine, we believe there is an urgent need for enhanced antimicrobial stewardship and training within companion animal medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy M. Sjoberg

  2. Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA

    Claire L. Fellman, Ian M. DeStefano & Madeleine R. Stein

  3. Stuart B. Levy Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Claire L. Fellman & Shira Doron

  4. Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA

    Sarah M. Langfitt

  5. Tufts Medical Center Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies & Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    Manlik Kwong

  6. Emerson Hospital, Concord, MA, USA

    Kirthana Beaulac

  7. Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Shira Doron

Authors
  1. Amy M. Sjoberg
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  2. Claire L. Fellman
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  3. Ian M. DeStefano
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  4. Sarah M. Langfitt
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  5. Madeleine R. Stein
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  6. Manlik Kwong
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  7. Kirthana Beaulac
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  8. Shira Doron
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Correspondence to Claire L. Fellman.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Sjoberg, A.M., Fellman, C.L., DeStefano, I.M. et al. One Health interprofessional stewardship to combat antimicrobial resistance. Nat Med 29, 512–513 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02173-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02173-8

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