SciDev.Net

APUA is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote appropriate antimicrobial use worldwide. It does so through antimicrobial resistance research, education, capacity building and advocacy at the global (it has 60 chapters in various countries) and grassroots levels. The website’s information is pitched both at patients and healthcare practitioners and researchers. It features upcoming meetings and conferences, and a detailed list of publications.

Initiated by the California Medical Association Foundation, this is a partnership of healthcare providers, public health agencies, consumer and community-based health organisations, government and the pharmaceutical industry. Much of the data on prevalence will probably be relevant only to those in the United States, but much of the information in the factsheets — such as how resistance is spread and how to deal with minor infections — is relevant worldwide.

The Center engages in advocacy on public issues such as nutrition, food safety and health, of which antibiotic resistance is a part. The site tackles the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, including animals' treatment with antibiotics also used by humans.

It also has information directed at the general public — such as advice on when antibiotics are necessary, which common illnesses are caused by bacteria and which by viruses; and also tells people they shouldn’t demand antibiotics from their doctor. 

This project aims to educate the public about the problem of antibiotic resistance. The website provides information for healthcare professionals, the public, teachers, parents, children, and daycare and assisted living sites. The emphasis is on the appropriate use of antibiotics, and the need for good hygiene to prevent infections. It offers guidelines for managing respiratory tract infections, including colds, flu, sore throats, cough, earaches, sinus infections, bronchitis and pneumonia.

Some of this information is provided in languages other than English, including Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Punjabi.

The website also tries to educate children by offering them online games, colouring sheets to download and other activities. The aim is to get children to understand a little more about microorganisms that cause illness and how not to fall ill.

The Global Forum for Health Research provides evidence, tools and discussion forums for decision-makers in research funding and policy to improve the health of the poor. Although it covers issues for both infectious and non-communicable diseases, the agency recognises that mental health problems are severely neglected in developing countries. As well as links to various publications and reports, the website also hosts RealHealthNews, which aims to share news on research and interventions that can improve the health of those in developing countries.

This organisation is a coalition of health, environmental, consumer, sustainable agriculture and other advocacy groups, working to end antibiotic misuse. The website has several background articles on antibiotic resistance, as well as a series of factsheets on how resistance can be particularly dangerous to vulnerable populations, such as those affected by HIV/AIDS or diabetes.

It has a useful archive of documents and reports on a variety of issues such as gene transfer, food contamination and animal husbandry.

The site educates visitors about antibiotic resistance by going back to the basics of the human immune system and how we get ill, and explaining microbes. Other factsheets explain when antibiotics are needed, and how to prevent resistance from developing through overuse. 

Unlike many other websites that seek to give readers a basic introduction, it looks at crosscutting issues such as why vaccination is important in preventing illnesses that may then be treated with antibiotics. It also investigates the risks involved in stockpiling antibiotics to safeguard against bioterrorism and explains the use of antibiotics in animal farming.

ReAct (Action on Antibiotic Resistance) is a coalition that links a range of individuals, organisations and networks around the world taking concerted action to respond to antibiotic resistance. The organisation campaigns for the appropriate use of antibiotics, and for improved hygiene in hospitals to ensure better infection control.

The organisation produces regular publications, often aimed at policymakers, that analyse the different aspects of antibiotic resistance. [ReAct funds this Spotlight]

A key APUA research initiative, this project is trying understand the role of commensal bacteria (normal or harmless bacteria) in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

It is compiling existing commensal isolate data and literature into a web-based bioinformatics tool. It also uses statistical, risk analysis, and mathematical modelling techniques to analyse the data to determine whether the frequency of antibiotic resistance genes in commensals can predict the subsequent emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacterial populations. The project has the capacity to award research sub-grants to fund research to produce the data it needs and has awarded 10 research sub-grants since 1997.

ROAR’s fully searchable database is open-access to other researchers in this field, and they can use it to analyse or to input data.

This non-profit alliance of more than 200,000 citizens and scientists uses scientific evidence to lobby governments, corporations and consumers to act responsibly for the benefit of society. They often commission their own research into topics such as global warming or GM crops. Their interest in antibiotic resistance focuses on reducing the use of antibiotics in food animals. They advocate better treatment of animals — by using grass-fed systems, for example — to lower the need for drugs. The union encourages the public to get involved by writing to political representatives and signing petitions. The website also has a news section and links to related networks.   

The website has useful information about resistance, particularly about antibiotic use in animals. It has educational material for parents on how to deal with children’s infections, including which infections need antibiotics and which don’t. It also looks at the overuse of antibacterial cleaning products (for example, hand soaps) and acne medication, which may not be used in the poorest developing countries but are likely to be used in richer ones.

The website has links to several key United States initiatives to better understand how antibiotics resistance develops, educational projects for healthcare workers and consumers, and guidelines on when to use antibiotics.