AMR surveillance in animals

Introduction

Welcome to AMR surveillance in animals. This module is aimed at animal health professionals, including laboratory scientists, veterinary services professionals, policy-makers and data scientists such as epidemiologists.

This module builds on the module Antimicrobial resistance in animals, where we explored in depth the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals. This module begins by introducing the concepts of surveillance and monitoring, including the different types of surveillance systems and surveillance data. Next, we will consider the purposes of surveillance, and the importance of One Health integration. We will go on to think about surveillance systems in the national context, considering different data sources and the flow of information and feedback. Finally, we will look at how surveillance systems are designed, and the importance of evaluating surveillance. Throughout this module there are opportunities to reflect on how the principles from the module can be applied in your own setting.

Antimicrobials are compounds that kill or inhibit the growth of any type of microorganism. In this module, we will use the term ‘antimicrobial’ to refer to any drug that is active against bacteria, i.e. antibacterial medicines. We include poultry when using the term ‘livestock’, and ‘food-producing animals’ refers to livestock and aquaculture species. We use the term ‘stakeholders’ to refer to professionals, people or organisations involved in food producing animal systems.

After completing this module, you will be able to:

• explain the importance of AMR, AMU and residues data when tackling the AMR challenge
• describe and identify the main types of surveillance systems
• explain how local surveillance data is obtained from animals, and the importance of this data in national surveillance networks
• reflect on how your role fits within local and national AMR surveillance networks, and explain the roles of the different stakeholders within the surveillance networks
• explain the purpose of AMR-related surveillance and monitoring in animals, and the importance of conducting surveillance in different groups of animals
• list some of the key points to consider when designing a sampling strategy for AMR surveillance in animals.