Antimicrobial resistance quiz

This is a common misconception; it is actually the bacteria themselves that can develop resistance to standard treatment, not the human body. These bacteria can then spread to other people and cause infections.

Antibiotic resistance is a subset of AMR. AMR also includes medications that are resistant to viruses (e.g. HIV, hepatitis), parasites (p. falciparum malaria) and fungi (candida).

The World Health Organization says antimicrobial-resistant organisms are in every country. There is a form of tuberculosis (TB) that is already resistant to the 2 most powerful anti-TB drugs. As of July 2016, resistance to the first-line treatment for P. falciparum malaria (artemisinin-based combination therapies, also known as ACTs) has been confirmed in 5 countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam). In 2010, an estimated 7% of people starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in developing countries had drug-resistant HIV. 

You can prevent AMR by staying healthy. Keep up to date on your vaccines, use safe practices while cooking, wash and sanitise your hands regularly, and be smart if you do become sick. Do not take antibiotics if you have a viral infection and don’t share antibiotics with others.

Influenza (as well as the common cold) is caused by a virus. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections, not viral infections. Taking antibiotics for a viral infection won’t help and can contribute to the rise of AMR.

The XN-31 can detect and count malaria-infected red blood cells within one minute with great sensitivity and specificity and confirm a diagnosis of malaria.

The UF-5000/4000 can rapidly exclude UTI negative samples and therefore help to avoid unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics. The Gram pos/Gram negative flag provides valuable information to support specific empirical antibiotic treatment on suspicion (narrow spectrum instead of broad spectrum).