AMRx Hub | Glossary

Core Terms (Must-Have for Everyone)

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): When microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) evolve and stop responding to medicines that used to kill them.
Antimicrobials: Medicines that treat infections, including antibiotics (bacteria), antivirals (viruses), antifungals (fungi), and antiparasitics (parasites).
Antibiotic Resistance: A specific type of AMR where bacteria no longer respond to antibiotics.
Superbugs: Strains of bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, making infections hard to treat.
Misuse of Antimicrobials: Incorrect use of medicines—such as wrong drug choice, wrong dose, overuse, or stopping treatment too early.
Antimicrobial Stewardship: Coordinated strategies to use antimicrobials wisely and responsibly to preserve their effectiveness.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC): Measures like hand hygiene, vaccination, safe hospital practices, and clean environments to prevent the spread of infections, including resistant ones.
One Health Approach: A strategy recognizing the interconnection between human health, animal health, and the environment in tackling AMR.

Multidrug-Resistant (MDR): Microorganisms resistant to at least one medicine in three or more antimicrobial categories.
Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR): Resistant to almost all available antimicrobials, with only a few treatment options left.
Pan-Drug Resistant (PDR): Resistant to all known antimicrobials, leaving no effective treatments.
Last-Resort Antibiotics: Potent antibiotics (like colistin or carbapenems) reserved for infections that don’t respond to other treatments.
Nosocomial Infections (Hospital-Acquired Infections): Infections acquired in healthcare settings, often involving resistant pathogens.
Surveillance: The systematic monitoring of AMR trends in humans, animals, and the environment to guide interventions.

Resistance Genes: Segments of DNA that provide microorganisms with the ability to survive treatment with antimicrobials.
Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT): The process by which bacteria exchange genetic material (including resistance genes) with one another.
Plasmid: Small, circular DNA molecules in bacteria that often carry and transfer resistance genes between cells.
Efflux Pump: Protein systems that bacteria use to pump antimicrobial drugs out of their cells before the drugs can act.
Integrons: Genetic elements that capture, store, and express resistance genes, contributing to the spread of AMR.
Transposons (“Jumping Genes”): DNA sequences that can move within and between genomes, spreading resistance traits.
Mutation: A permanent change in DNA sequence that can create or enhance resistance.
Mobile Genetic Elements (MGEs): Pieces of DNA (like plasmids, transposons, and integrons) that move between organisms, helping spread resistance.

Selective Pressure: The survival advantage microorganisms gain when exposed to antimicrobials, allowing resistant ones to thrive while others die off.
Biofilm: A protective layer formed by communities of microbes that makes them more resistant to antimicrobials and immune responses.
Intrinsic Resistance: Natural resistance that certain microorganisms already have, without needing new mutations or gene acquisition.
Acquired Resistance: Resistance developed through mutations or by picking up resistance genes from other microbes.
Global Action Plan (GAP): The World Health Organization’s framework to guide countries in combating AMR.