Rate of drug-resistant bloodstream infections expected to climb in Europe in coming years

Rates of bloodstream infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are expected to surge across Europe as the population ages in the coming years, a new analysis has found.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria or other pathogens evolve to the point where antibiotics are no longer effective against them. These so-called superbugs kill about one million people per year globally.

In Europe, rates of drug-resistant infections are expected to rise steadily through 2030, according to the study, which was published in the journal PLOS Medicine. But there will be differences by country, gender, age group, and type of bacteria-antibiotic combination.

Factoring in both demographic and infection trends, the projected increases ranged from 22.2 per cent (Streptococcus pneumoniae infections among women) to 61.5 per cent (Klebsiella pneumoniae infections among men).

Infection rates are also predicted to rise more in men than in women for six of the eight bacteria studied, and to climb more drastically in adults aged 74 or older compared with younger groups.

Bloodstream infections can be life-threatening, causing complications such as sepsis.

“Our study shows that the future burden of drug-resistant infections won’t be uniform,” said Gwenan Knight, the study’s senior author and co-director of the Antimicrobial Resistance Centre at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

“Age and sex are still rarely considered in antimicrobial resistance projections, yet they make a real difference to who is most affected,” she added in a statement.

The researchers analysed data from more than 12.8 million routine blood tests for bacterial infections in 29 European countries between 2010 and 2019. They used it to predict how rates of drug-resistant bloodstream infections may change through 2050.

Knight’s team said having a clearer picture of which groups are most at risk will help scientists and policymakers create more targeted plans to reduce the number of deaths and health problems tied to drug-resistant infections.

Yet large-scale goals may be out of reach.

While global health officials have set a target of curbing antibiotic-resistants by 10 per cent by 2030, the projections show this is only possible for about two-thirds of bacteria-antibiotic combinations.

Knight said that given the number of antibiotic-resistant infections, “simply preventing further rises in resistant bloodstream infections would already be a major public health achievement”.