Delineating the impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance: An Indian perspective
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Accepted version
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered millions of lives globally and continues to be a challenge to public health due to the emergence of variants of concern. Fear of secondary infections following COVID-19 has led to an escalation in antimicrobial use during the pandemic, while some antimicrobials have been repurposed as treatments for SARS-CoV-2, further driving antimicrobial resistance. India is one of the largest producers and consumers of antimicrobials globally, hence the task of curbing antimicrobial resistance is a huge challenge. Practices like empirical antimicrobial prescription and repurposing of drugs in clinical settings, self-medication and excessive use of antimicrobial hygiene products may have negatively impacted the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in India. However, the expanded production of antimicrobials and disinfectants during the pandemic in response to increased demand may have had an even greater impact on the threat of antimicrobial resistance through major impacts on the environment. The review provides an outline of the impact COVID-19 can have on antimicrobial resistance in clinical settings and the possible outcomes on the environment. This review calls for the upgrading of existing antimicrobial policies and emphasizes the need for research studies to understand the impact of the pandemic on antimicrobial resistance in India.
Date Issued
2022-04-20
Date Acceptance
2021-11-11
Citation
Science of the Total Environment, 2022, 818
ISSN
0048-9697
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Science of the Total Environment
Volume
818
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34798093
PII: S0048-9697(21)06778-4
Grant Number
NE/T013184/1
Subjects
AMR
Antimicrobial manufacturing waste
Antimicrobial residues
COVID-19
Empirical consumption
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Netherlands
Article Number
ARTN 151702
Date Publish Online
2021-11-16