UKHSA releases new bacteria collections to support fight against antimicrobial resistance
by Harriet Belderbos · Open Access GovernmentThe UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has made five new collections of drug-resistant bacteria available to researchers to speed up the development of new treatments and diagnostic tests for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Developed in collaboration with Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy (PACE), the collections contain 145 bacteria collected in the UK, mostly within the past five years. The samples are designed to give researchers a more up-to-date picture of the resistance patterns currently affecting patients in the UK and around the world.
Supporting research into drug-resistant infections
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria evolve so that medicines used to treat infections become less effective. As resistance continues to develop, infections that were once relatively easy to treat can become increasingly difficult to manage.
The World Health Organisation has identified several drug-resistant bacteria as priority threats because of their potential impact on global health.
The new UKHSA collections include bacteria associated with urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections and lower respiratory tract infections. They also cover organisms the World Health Organisation has identified as priority threats.
By providing researchers with contemporary samples, the collections could help scientists assess whether potential medicines and diagnostic technologies are effective against the types of resistant bacteria currently being seen in healthcare settings.
A more up-to-date resource for researchers
Researchers developing new antibiotics or diagnostic tests need access to bacterial samples to test how their products perform against different strains.
However, existing collections have not always reflected recent changes in antimicrobial resistance. Accessing suitable samples can also take considerable time, potentially slowing down research and development.
The new panels aim to address these challenges by providing a standardised, readily available resource containing bacteria with resistance patterns more representative of present-day infections.
Although the samples were collected in the UK, UKHSA says the resistance patterns they represent are also seen internationally, making the collections potentially useful to researchers working on AMR beyond the UK.
Samples available through national collection
UKHSA’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections (AMRHAI) Reference Unit identified and analysed the bacteria, which monitors antimicrobial resistance across the UK.
The samples are now available to order through the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC), the UK’s longest-established collection of medically important bacteria. Researchers will also have access to detailed scientific information alongside the samples.
Helping accelerate new treatments
The new collections are intended to make it easier for researchers and companies to test potential treatments and diagnostic tools against bacteria that reflect current AMR challenges.
Improving access to contemporary bacterial strains could be particularly useful for smaller companies and research groups that may not have the resources or infrastructure to source suitable samples independently.