A new study found two in every five deaths in the Americas involved infection associated with antimicrobial resistance.
The study, published Aug. 8 in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, estimated deaths attributed to and associated with antimicrobial resistance for 23 bacterial pathogens and 88 pathogen-drug combinations in the World Health Organization Region of the Americas in 2019. Data was collected from mortality registries, hospital systems and literature reviews.
Here are four findings about antimicrobial resistance in the United States:
- The five pathogens with the highest number of deaths associated with antimicrobial resistance:
- Staphylococcus aureus (49,100)
- Escherichia coli (34,000)
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15,300)
- Enterococcus faecium (13,700)
- Acinetobacter baumannii (13,300)
- These pathogens caused lower respiratory infections and all related infections in the thorax, bloodstream and peritoneal and intra-abdominal infections.
- In the U.S., antimicrobial resistance deaths are higher than deaths from digestive diseases, respiratory infections and tuberculosis, substance use disorders, unintentional injuries and other noncommunicable diseases.
- Antimicrobial resistance directly caused 41,900, and 172,900 deaths were associated with AMR in 2019.