More than 33,000 people died in the EU and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) due to antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in 2015 alone. The burden of antibiotic-resistant infections on society is constantly increasing and can now be comparable to that of influenza, tuberculosis and HIV combined.

A population-based analysis of the impact of antibiotic-resistant infections on mortality and disability in the EU/EEA was published in The Lancet*. The researchers noted that the fight against bacterial resistance should be global in scope, but found that the problem varies widely across countries.

In 2015, approximately 672,000 infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria were recorded. Of these, 63.5% were associated with healthcare facilities and accounted for 72.4% of deaths. This indicates that hospitals and other healthcare facilities are the primary source of treatment-resistant infections.

Overall, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were responsible for 33,110 deaths in the EU/EEA in 2015. The incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections was 131 per 100,000 population with a corresponding mortality rate of 6.44 per 100,000 population.

The following pathogens contribute most to the problem of antibiotic-resistant infections in the EU/EEA:

- Escherichia coli resistant to third-generation cephalosporins,

- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),

- Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to carbapenems,

- Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to third-generation cephalosporins.

The latter is not very common, but makes a significant contribution to mortality rates.

The greatest risks associated with antibiotic-resistant infections are found in children under 1 year of age and older adults over 65 years of age.

The highest incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections in the EU/EEA is observed in Italy and Greece.

* Cassini A, Högberg LD, Plachouras D et al. Attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life-years caused by infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the EU and the European Economic Area in 2015: a population-level modeling analysis // The Lancet, Published: November 05, 2018 DOI: https: //doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30605-4