Key points
- Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is an urgent global public health threat.
- In the U.S., more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year.
Overview
CDC is concerned about the emergence and spread of new forms of resistance and rising resistant infections in the community (outside hospitals). Community infections can put more people at risk, make spread more difficult to identify and contain and threaten the progress made to protect patients in hospitals.
In 2019, CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019 (AR Threats Report) noted that dedicated prevention and infection control efforts in the U.S. reduced deaths from antimicrobial-resistant infections by 18% overall and by nearly 30% in hospitals. Additional data shows these reductions continued until 2020 when the U.S. started losing progress combating AR due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic resulted in more resistant infections, increased antibiotic use, and less data and prevention actions.1
Thankfully, the 2022 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report shows that the U.S. is gaining ground lost during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic with decreases in standardized infection rates for some HAIs, including a 16% decrease in hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and a 3% decrease in hospital onset Clostridioides difficile. As evident from the pandemic, without continued action and vigilance these gains will only be temporary.
Highlights
- AR is an urgent global public health threat, killing at least 1.27 million people worldwide and associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019, according to a report released in The Lancet.2
- In the U.S., more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year. More than 35,000 people die as a result, according to CDC's 2019 AR Threats Report.3
- When C. diff—a bacterium that is not typically resistant but can cause deadly diarrhea and is associated with antibiotic use—is added, the U.S. toll of all the threats in the AR Threats Report exceeds 3 million infections and 48,000 deaths.
- The estimated national cost to treat infections caused by six antimicrobial-resistant germs frequently found in health care can be substantial—more than $4.6 billion annually, according to a collaborative CDC study.4
Tracking AR
CDC uses several data sources and systems to track AR in the U.S. and abroad. Knowing where and how changes in resistance are occurring informs solutions (e.g., outbreak response) to prevent spread and slow resistance.
CDC collects data through many tracking systems and uses external sources, like electronic health data, to assess the burden of antimicrobial-resistant germs. Data often include information on human infections, pathogens (harmful germs) and reasons or risk factors that cause some people to get a resistant infection. CDC also works with partners to strengthen information-sharing, address data gaps and harmonize how data are reported across the U.S. and other countries.
The following systems complement each other to provide a comprehensive understanding of known and emerging AR threats.
Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network
About Global Action in Healthcare Network - Antimicrobial Resistance
Global Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory and Response Network
National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
Publications with AR data
Reports
- 2022 Special Report: COVID-19 U.S. Impact on AR
- 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report (2019)
- 2013 Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report(2013)
- Stewardship Report: Antibiotic Prescribing and Use in the U.S. and Human Health
- STD Surveillance Reports
- Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance Resources
- Vital Signs Reports:
- Preventing Bloodstream Infections in People on Dialysis (2023)
- Staph infections can kill. More prevention in healthcare & communities needed (2019)
- Containing unusual resistance (2018)
- Think sepsis. Time matters. (2016)
- Protect patients from antibiotic resistance (2016)
- Stop spread of antibiotic resistance (2015)
- Antibiotic Rx in hospitals: Proceed with caution (2014)
CDC Data Apps & Tools
- Antimicrobial Resistance Investment Map
- Antibiotic Resistance & Patient Safety Portal
- NARMS Now: Human Data (food-borne safety data)
- Reference Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) Data
- Tracking Map of Candida auris in the U.S.
Meeting Summary Reports
- Initiatives for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment (2018)
- About: Scientific experts met to discuss evidence and identify knowledge gaps around resistance in the environment (e.g., soil, water) at the International Environmental AMR Forum, hosted by CDC, the UK Science & Innovation Network, and the Wellcome Trust.
- Report: Executive Summary and Current Situation and Challenges
- A Public Health Perspective on Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostics (2016)
- About: Industry leaders met to look for solutions to challenges that come with the development, uptake, and implementation of tests that can slow the spread of resistance, hosted by CDC and AdvaMedDx.
- Report: Meeting Summary and Opportunities to Address Challenges
Archived
- ITFAR was created in 1999 to coordinate the activities of federal agencies in addressing AR. Email arx@cdc.gov for the archived 2001-2012 ITFAR reports.
- CDC. COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2022.
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2821%2902724-0/fulltext
- CDC. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2019
- National Estimates of Healthcare Costs Associated With Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infections Among Hospitalized Patients in the United States | Clinical Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic (oup.com)