Fifteen of the most threatening antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The risks are sorted in the Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) for 2024 by the WHO into critical, high, and medium categories. Health authorities and researchers use the list as a crucial tool in developing new treatments needed to halt the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
AMR happens when bugs like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites stop responding to medications, leading to harder-to-treat infections and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death. It's mainly driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials.
The fresh BPPL brings together the latest evidence and expert opinions to steer research and development (R&D) towards finding new antibiotics and boost international efforts to spark innovation.
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The list is a crucial tool in developing new treatments needed to halt the spread of antimicrobial resistance (Getty Images)WHO's Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance ad interim, Dr Yukiko Nakatani, said: "By mapping the global burden of drug-resistant bacteria and assessing their impact on public health, this list is key to guiding investment and grappling with the antibiotics pipeline and access crisis.
"Since the first Bacterial Priority Pathogens List was released in 2017, the threat of antimicrobial resistance has intensified, eroding the efficacy of numerous antibiotics and putting many of the gains of modern medicine at risk."
Critical priority pathogens, such as gram-negative bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to the antibiotic rifampicin, pose a significant global threat due to their high burden, resistance to treatment, and ability to spread resistance to other bacteria.
Gram-negative bacteria have inherent abilities to develop new resistance mechanisms and can share genetic material that enables other bacteria to become drug-resistant.
High-priority pathogens like Salmonella and Shigella carry a particularly high burden in low- and middle-income countries. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus also fall into this category, posing significant challenges in healthcare settings.
Other high-priority pathogens, such as antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Enterococcus faecium, present unique public health challenges, including persistent infections and resistance to multiple antibiotics, necessitating targeted research and public health interventions.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) for 2024 (Getty Images)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US
Medium-priority pathogens include Group A and B Streptococci (both new to the 2024 list), Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae, which present a high disease burden. These pathogens require increased attention, especially in vulnerable populations including paediatric and elderly populations, particularly in resource-limited settings.
WHO's Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases, Dr Jerome Salomon, explained: "Antimicrobial resistance jeopardises our ability to effectively treat high-burden infections, such as tuberculosis, leading to severe illness and increased mortality rates."
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The BPPL 2024 also emphasises the need for a comprehensive public health approach to addressing AMR, including universal access to quality and affordable measures for prevention, diagnosis and appropriate treatment of infections, as outlined in WHO's People-centred approach to addressing AMR and core package of AMR interventions. This is crucial for mitigating AMR's impact on public health and the economy.
Changes between the 2017 and 2024 lists
The BPPL 2024 saw the removal of five pathogen-antibiotic combinations that were included in BPPL 2017, and the addition of four new combinations. The fact that third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales are listed as a standalone item within the critical priority category emphasises their burden and need for targeted interventions, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) infection moving from critical to high priority in BPPL 2024 mirrors recent reports of decreases in global resistance. Despite this transition, investment in R&D and other prevention and control strategies for CRPA remains important, given its significant burden in some regions.
The BPPL 2024 saw the removal of five pathogen-antibiotic combinations (Getty Images)Bacteria in the WHO BPPL 2024 list
Critical priority
Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant; Enterobacterales, third-generation cephalosporin-resistant; and Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant; Mycobacterium tuberculosis, rifampicin-resistant (included after an independent analysis with parallel tailored criteria, and subsequent application of an adapted multi-criteria decision analysis matrix).
High-priority
Salmonella Typhi, fluoroquinolone-resistant; Shigella spp. , fluoroquinolone-resistant; Enterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant; Non-typhoidal Salmonella, fluoroquinolone-resistant; Neisseria gonorrhoeae, third-generation cephalosporin- and/or fluoroquinolone-resistant; Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant.
Medium priority
Group A streptococci, macrolide-resistant; Streptococcus pneumoniae, macrolide-resistant; Haemophilus influenzae, ampicillin-resistant; Group B streptococci, penicillin-resistant.
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