The Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance
Geoffrey W. Coombs A B C * , Denise A. Daley B C , Jan M. Bell D , Shakeel Mowlaboccus A B , Jon R. Iredell E F G and on behalf of the Australian Group on Antimicrobial ResistanceA
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Prof. Geoffrey Coombs is the Chair of Public Health at the School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, and a Clinical Scientist for PathWest Laboratory Medicine – WA at Fiona Stanley Hospital. At Murdoch University, he is the Chair of AGAR. |
Ms Denise Daley has a 40-year background in medical microbiology in NSW and WA, and currently works for PathWest Laboratory Medicine – WA at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth. Denise has been the AGAR Scientific Officer since 2011. |
Jan Bell is a Scientific Officer for the AGAR Gram-negative Surveillance Outcome Program (GnSOP). She is also a microbiology advisor to the Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA), Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) team and Emerging Issues stream at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. |
Dr Shakeel Mowlaboccus is an early-career researcher in the field of infectious diseases and AMR with over 10 years’ experience in microbiology, large-scale whole genome sequencing, bioinformatics analyses, and molecular cloning. He is the current International Young Ambassador representing Australia at the American Society for Microbiology and the Chair-elect of the Western Australia branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology. |
Jon Iredell is a physician and microbiologist based at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney and is AMR lead at the Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, New South Wales Health Pathology. He is a past President of the Australian Society for Microbiology. |
Abstract
Antimicrobials are an integral component of healthcare delivery. When resistance to an antimicrobial emerges, it has a significant impact on an individual’s treatment and the community more broadly. In Australia, to monitor antimicrobial resistance in human health, the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) performs three ongoing blood-based antimicrobial surveillance programs: the Australian Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance Outcome Program (ASSOP); the Australian Enterococcal Surveillance Outcome Program (AESOP); and the Gram-negative Surveillance Outcome Program (GnSOP). All data are available on the AGAR website and are included in the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care’s Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia Surveillance System.
Keywords: AMR, antimicrobial resistance, E. coli, Enterococcus faecium, S. aureus, surveillance.
Prof. Geoffrey Coombs is the Chair of Public Health at the School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, and a Clinical Scientist for PathWest Laboratory Medicine – WA at Fiona Stanley Hospital. At Murdoch University, he is the Chair of AGAR. |
Ms Denise Daley has a 40-year background in medical microbiology in NSW and WA, and currently works for PathWest Laboratory Medicine – WA at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth. Denise has been the AGAR Scientific Officer since 2011. |
Jan Bell is a Scientific Officer for the AGAR Gram-negative Surveillance Outcome Program (GnSOP). She is also a microbiology advisor to the Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA), Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) team and Emerging Issues stream at the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. |
Dr Shakeel Mowlaboccus is an early-career researcher in the field of infectious diseases and AMR with over 10 years’ experience in microbiology, large-scale whole genome sequencing, bioinformatics analyses, and molecular cloning. He is the current International Young Ambassador representing Australia at the American Society for Microbiology and the Chair-elect of the Western Australia branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology. |
Jon Iredell is a physician and microbiologist based at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney and is AMR lead at the Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, New South Wales Health Pathology. He is a past President of the Australian Society for Microbiology. |
References
1 Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2022) Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA). ACSQHC, Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-australia-aura
2 Department of Health and Aged Care and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2020) Australia’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy – 2020 and beyond. Date published 13 March 2020. Commonwealth of Australia. https://www.amr.gov.au/news/australias-national-antimicrobial-resistance-strategy-2020-and-beyond
3 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (2023) European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net). European Union, Stockholm, Sweden. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/about-us/networks/disease-networks-and-laboratory-networks/ears-net-data (last updated 17 November 2023)
4 Coombs GW et al. (2023) Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) Australian Staphylococcus aureus Surveillance Outcome Program (ASSOP) bloodstream infection annual report 2022. Commun Dis Intell 47, 1-19.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
5 Coombs GW et al. (2023) Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) Australian Enterococcal Surveillance Outcome Program (AESOP) bloodstream infection annual report 2022. Commun Dis Intell 47, 1-11.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
6 Bell JM et al. (2023) Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) Australian Gram-negative Surveillance Outcome Program (GnSOP) Bloodstream Infection Annual Report 2022. Commun Dis Intell 47, 1-13.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |
7 Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2023) AURA 2023: Fifth Australian report on antimicrobial use and resistance in human health – report. ACSQHC, Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/aura-2023-fifth-australian-report-antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-human-health-report
8 Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2023) Surveillance outcome programs bloodstream infections: 2022 report. D23-53608. November 2023. ACSQHC, Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-12/AGAR%20Surveillance%20Outcome%20Programs%202022%20Report.pdf
9 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (2022) Antimicrobial resistance in the EU/EEA (EARS-Net) – annual epidemiological report for 2021. European Union, Stockholm, Sweden. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/surveillance-antimicrobial-resistance-europe-2021
10 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (2023) Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Europe 2023–2021 data. Surveillance report. European Union, Stockholm, Sweden. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/antimicrobial-resistance-surveillance-europe-2023-2021-data
