Challenge Of Antimicrobial Resistance Research Articles

Structural modification and antibacterial property studies of natural chalcone sanjuanolide.

Clinical infections arise from multidrug-resistant bacteria and pose a serious threat to human and global public health. Moreover, due to very few antibiotics being discovered, there is an urgent need to develop new antibacterial agents to combat antimicrobial resistance challenges. In this study, a series of new chalcone derivatives bearing a 3′-hydroxyisoprenyl moiety were prepared to employ Claisen–Schmidt condensation as a key step by combinatorial chemistry, and overall yields of these novel derivatives are in the range of 28–68% in the two-step reaction. Sanjuanolide and the synthesized derivatives have been investigated for their expected antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus CMCC 26003) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli CMCC 44102). Among these compounds, only 4c (MIC = 12.5 μg/ml) and 4d (MIC = 25 μg/ml) exhibited antibacterial activity comparable to sanjuanolide (MIC = 12.5 μg/ml, against S. aureus CMCC 26003), and the results of subsequent in vivo experiments on sanjuanolide suggest that sanjuanolide exhibits bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects by altering the cellular structure, disrupting the integrity of cell membranes, and reducing the outer membrane potential.

Combating antimicrobial resistance in neonatal infections: a South African perspective

The challenge of antimicrobial resistance in neonatal infections in low-income and middle-income countries requires attention. The Article by Rudzani C Mashau and colleagues in The Lancet Global Health provides insights into invasive neonatal infections, including antimicrobial resistance, within the South African public health sector.1 Of note, widespread antimicrobial resistance among neonates, at a population level, has been reconfirmed.

System Mapping of Antimicrobial Resistance to Combat a Rising Global Health Crisis.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) decreases the effectiveness of antimicrobials to treat bacterial infections in humans and animals. The increased occurrence of AMR in bacterial population in humans, animals, and the environment requires the measures to combat a rising global health crisis. The aim of this research was to present current knowledge on AMR in a system map and to identify potential explanations of former identified variables significantly associated with AMR. This study applies a systems thinking approach and uses feedback loops to visualize the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental components in a circular AMR system map model. First, a literature review focusing on AMR and socioeconomic factors, wicked problem, and system change was carried out, which was then processed in a system map to conceptualize the present core challenges of AMR via feedback loops. Second, to investigate possible underlying values of the society and those that influence humans' behavior in the present AMR system, an iceberg model was established. Third, leverage points were assessed to estimate which kinds of interventions would have the greatest effect to mitigate AMR in the system. The present AMR system map implies the potential to identify and visualize important risk factors that are direct or indirect drivers of AMR. Our results show that the tool of system mapping, which interconnects animals, humans, and environment in one model, can approach AMR holistically and be used to assess potential powerful entry points for system wide interventions. This study shows that system maps are beneficial as a model to predict the relative effect of different interventions and adapt to rapidly changing environments in a complex world. Systems thinking is considered as a complementing approach to the statistical thinking, and further research is needed to evaluate the use of such tools for the development and monitoring of interventions.

A study on the clinical spectrum, prescription pattern and diagnosis of enteric fever in a tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Enteric fever is a major public health concern in developing countries. Lack of diagnostics diagnosis and antimicrobial resistance challenges in treatment of enteric fever. Timely diagnosis and proper management of fever are essential to reduce the complications and emergence antibiotic resistance.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 71 subjects between February 2018 and December 2019. Spectrum of the disease, antimicrobial resistance and prescription pattern were observed and performances of various diagnostic methods (like culture, serology and loop mediated isothermal amplification) were determined.Results: The most commonly observed clinical features included gastrointestinal complaints, anaemia, leukopenia, splenomegaly and hepatitis. Blood culture was positive for 49.3% (35/71) of the cases using conventional culture method. All samples positive by LAMP were also culture positive, out of which 80% (28/35) were S. typhi and 20% (7/35) were S. paratyphi A. Antimicrobial susceptibility to ciprofloxacin was 39.3% and 28.6% and ampicillin susceptibility was 32.1 and 28.6% in S. typhi and S. paratyphi A respectively. Only one multidrug resistant isolate was noted, while none was resistant to ceftriaxone or azithromycin. Cefixime and azithromycin combination therapy led to the earliest defervescence of fever.Conclusions: Oral combination therapy may be a good option to treat enteric fever and oral combination therapy may be a good option to treat enteric fever and performance of LAMP seem to be as good as culture with a shorter turnaround time. LAMP can be used to obviate the need of culture in resource limited settings.

Ruminant health research – progress to date and future prospects, with an emphasis on Irish research

This review addresses the progress that has been made in ruminant health research over the last 60 yr, with an emphasis on Irish research. The review focuses on the economically important infectious diseases of dairy and beef cattle and of sheep, calf diseases, regulated and non-regulated infectious diseases, lameness, mastitis and parasitoses. The progress to date, current knowledge and future challenges are all addressed. Paradigm shifts have occurred in many of these diseases, the most profound of which is the change from increasing antimicrobial usage (AMU) to the realisation of the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the current reduction in AMU. Another major change in thinking is the move away from focus on the pathogen exclusively towards a more holistic view of the roles of host immunity and adequacy of management. In the last 60 yr, many new diseases have emerged but in parallel many new technologies have rapidly evolved to monitor and control these threats to animal health. Irish research has contributed substantially to improved current ruminant health. The major future challenge is how to manage ruminant health in a OneHealth world where animal, human and environmental health and sustainability are intimately intertwined and interdependent.

Challenges of Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship in Solid Organ Transplant Patients.

Purpose of ReviewWithout effective antimicrobials, patients cannot undergo transplant surgery safely or sustain immunosuppressive therapy. This review examines the burden of antimicrobial resistance in solid organ transplant recipients and identifies opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship.Recent FindingsAntimicrobial resistance has been identified to be the leading cause of death globally. Multidrug-resistant pathogens are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus affects liver and lung recipients, causing bacteremia, pneumonia, and surgical site infections. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci is a nosocomial pathogen primarily causing bacteremia in liver recipients. Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens present urgent and serious threats to transplant recipients. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae commonly cause bacteremia and intra-abdominal infections in liver and kidney recipients. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales, mainly K. pneumoniae, are responsible for infections early-post transplant in liver, lung, kidney, and heart recipients. P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii continue to be critical threats. While there are new antimicrobial agents targeting resistant pathogens, judicious prescribing is crucial to minimize emerging resistance. The full implications of the COVID-19 global pandemic on antimicrobial resistance in transplant recipients remain to be understood. Currently, there are no established standards on the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship interventions, but strategies that leverage existing antimicrobial stewardship program structure while tailoring to the needs of transplant recipients may help to optimize antimicrobial use.SummaryClinicians caring for transplant recipients face unique challenges tackling emerging antimcirobial resistance. Coordinated antimicrobial stewardship interventions in collaboration with appropriate expertise in transplant and infectious diseases may mitigate against such threats.

Assessment of Farmer’s Knowledge of Antimicrobial Resistance, Their Practice of Antimicrobial Usage and Biosecurity Status of Poultry Farms in Kathmandu Valley and Chitwan District, Nepal

The poultry industry has transformed into one of the vibrant economic activities in Nepal, contributing to almost 4% of the national GDP. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among the poultry farmers of Kathmandu valley and Chitwan district to assess their knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); their practice of antimicrobial usage and the biosecurity status of their poultry farms. The survey was done to understand the level of knowledge gap among the farmers regarding successful poultry farming with strict biosecurity protocol and minimal use of antibiotics. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared to interview a total of 112 farmers, with 56 respondents from each study sites. Only nineteen percent (11/56) of the farmers from the Kathmandu valley and 16% (9/56) of that of Chitwan district knew about the antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Doxycycline (25.9%, 29/112) was the most used antibiotic followed by Tylosin (21.5%, 24/112), Colistin (18.75%, 21/112), Ciprofloxacin (13.4%, 15/112) and Neomycin (12.5%, 14/112) in both districts. Majority of the surveyed respondents lacked the proper awareness regarding the importance of considerate use of antimicrobial drugs, effectiveness of implementing proper biosecurity protocols in the farms, and the increasing challenge of AMR in the present world scenario. The findings and results of this survey identify the critical gaps in the knowledge of the farmers concerning the day-to-day operations in their poultry business. Immediate strategic actions and road-maps are required to solve the burgeoning problem of AMR considering the imprudent use of antibiotics in the poultry sector. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 10(1): 50-59.

Pharmacodynamics of Meropenem and Tobramycin for Neonatal Meningoencephalitis: Novel Approaches to Facilitate the Development of New Agents to Address the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance.

Neonatal sepsis is an underrecognized burden on health care systems throughout the world. Antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR) is increasingly prevalent and compromises the use of currently recommended first-line agents. The development of new antimicrobial agents for neonates and children is mandated by regulatory agencies. However, there remains uncertainty about suitable development pathways, especially because of the propensity of premature babies to develop meningoencephalitis as a complication of neonatal sepsis and difficulties studying this disease in clinical settings. We developed a new platform and approach to accelerate the development of antimicrobial agents for neonatal bacterial meningoencephalitis using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the challenge organism. We defined the pharmacodynamics of meropenem and tobramycin in these models. The percentage of partitioning of meropenem and tobramycin into the cerebrospinal fluid was comparable at 14.3 and 13.7%, respectively. Despite this similarity, there were striking differences in their pharmacodynamics. Meropenem resulted in bactericidal activity in both the cerebrospinal fluid and cerebrum, whereas tobramycin had minimal antibacterial activity. A hollow fiber infection model (HFIM) using neonatal CSF concentration time profiles yielded pharmacodynamics comparable to those observed in the rabbit model. These new experimental models can be used to estimate the pharmacodynamics of currently licensed agents and those in development and their potential efficacy for neonatal bacterial meningoencephalitis.

The Collateral Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Status of Carbapenemase-Producing Pathogens.

The serious challenge of antimicrobial resistance continues to threaten public health and lingers in the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), declared pandemic by the World Health Organization. While the pandemic has triggered the importance of infection control practices and preventive measures such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, travel reduction and quarantine, the ongoing alarm of antimicrobial resistance seems to accompany the pandemic too. Antimicrobial resistance has been fostered during COVID-19, possibly due to high rate of empirical antibiotic utilization in COVID-19 patients, increased use of biocides, and the disruption of proper healthcare for other conditions. Specifically, carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria have shown to cause secondary bacterial infections in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Clinical and microbiological evidence of such infections is accumulating in different parts of the world. With the resilient nature of carbapenemases, their association with mortality, and the limited treatment options available, concerns regarding this group of antibiotic-hydrolyzing enzymes during the pandemic are expected to upsurge. While the additional burden carbapenemases exert on healthcare is worrisome, it remains hidden or abandoned among the various health consequences of the pandemic. The purpose of this minireview is to shed a light on carbapenemase-associated infections during such unprecedented time of COVID-19. A focused insight shall be made into carbapenemases, their implications for COVID-19 patients, and the features and consequences of co-infection, with a review of available evidence from pertinent literature. The importance of increased surveillance for carbapenemase-producers and optimizing their management in relation to the pandemic, shall be addressed as well.

An ultrasensitive microfluidic approach reveals correlations between the physico-chemical and biological activity of experimental peptide antibiotics

Antimicrobial resistance challenges the ability of modern medicine to contain infections. Given the dire need for new antimicrobials, polypeptide antibiotics hold particular promise. These agents hit multiple targets in bacteria starting with their most exposed regions—their membranes. However, suitable approaches to quantify the efficacy of polypeptide antibiotics at the membrane and cellular level have been lacking. Here, we employ two complementary microfluidic platforms to probe the structure–activity relationships of two experimental series of polypeptide antibiotics. We reveal strong correlations between each peptide’s physicochemical activity at the membrane level and biological activity at the cellular level. We achieve this knowledge by assaying the membranolytic activities of the compounds on hundreds of individual giant lipid vesicles, and by quantifying phenotypic responses within clonal bacterial populations with single-cell resolution. Our strategy proved capable of detecting differential responses for peptides with single amino acid substitutions between them, and can accelerate the rational design and development of peptide antimicrobials.

'She Wanted to Listen to her General Practitioner's Advice…': Exploring and Explaining Antibiotic Prescribing as a Regulatory Encounter.

This article examines the pressing global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), applying motivational posture theory to demonstrate how AMR and the prescribing that drives it can be considered a regulatory challenge. Following an outline of AMR and the threat of the 'superbugs' to which it gives rise, the article assesses the regulatory nature of the 'prescribing encounter' in the primary care setting. It applies both a responsive regulatory lens and motivational posture theory to analyse over 100 narrative accounts of encounters between a general practitioner and a patient. In so doing, the article examines the discursive repertoires and cultural resources available to primary care patients to explain the prescribing encounter and the dynamics within it. It concludes that patients conceive of prescribers as regulatory authorities and prescribing itself as a regulatory encounter. On this basis, the article argues that applying responsive regulatory theory and practice in response to the AMR challenge is likely to find reasonable patient acceptance, offering a new approach to this currently intractable challenge. This article then offers an analysis of what factors indicate patient drift towards defiance of regulatory aims, and what engagement and support encourage a return to cooperation.

Identification of β-Lactams Active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis by a Consortium of Pharmaceutical Companies and Academic Institutions.

Rising antimicrobial resistance challenges our ability to combat bacterial infections. The problem is acute for tuberculosis (TB), the leading cause of death from infection before COVID-19. Here, we developed a framework for multiple pharmaceutical companies to share proprietary information and compounds with multiple laboratories in the academic and government sectors for a broad examination of the ability of β-lactams to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In the TB Drug Accelerator (TBDA), a consortium organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, individual pharmaceutical companies collaborate with academic screening laboratories. We developed a higher order consortium within the TBDA in which four pharmaceutical companies (GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, MSD, and Lilly) collectively collaborated with screeners at Weill Cornell Medicine, the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), pharmacologists at Rutgers University, and medicinal chemists at the University of North Carolina to screen ∼8900 β-lactams, predominantly cephalosporins, and characterize active compounds. In a striking contrast to historical expectation, 18% of β-lactams screened were active against Mtb, many without a β-lactamase inhibitor. One potent cephaloporin was active in Mtb-infected mice. The steps outlined here can serve as a blueprint for multiparty, intra- and intersector collaboration in the development of anti-infective agents.

Evaluating the Role of Veterinarians in the One Health Approach to Antimicrobial Resistance in Jordan

Background Antimicrobials, including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics, are drugs used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals, and plants. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the role of knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Jordanian veterinarians in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and to summarize the registered veterinary drugs between 2017 and 2020. Methods The descriptive study data were collected using a standardized questionnaire focusing on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Jordanian veterinarians. Results The results were analyzed descriptively and showed that the mean knowledge of the participants who agreed with the statement on AMR definition was 84%. The majority (95.65%) agreed that AMR is a challenge for the veterinary sector in Jordan and should be prioritized among other zoonotic diseases. Around 69% of the participants believe that the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials by quacks—fraudulent and unauthorized practitioners—are the main reasons for AMR challenge. The most common practice among the respondents was recommending clients (farmers, owners, etc) to practice good animal husbandry (80%). The study also revealed that there was a significant difference (P=.02) between attending training about AMR and their professional sector (private, public, and academic). Conclusions This study showed the importance of implementing a continuous education program on antimicrobial resistance to improve veterinarians’ knowledge in all aspects of antimicrobial resistance and to increase their advisory skills. Laws should also be enacted to ensure that veterinarians prescribe the correct antimicrobials and improve the surveillance system to monitor the use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine.

REASSURED Multiplex Diagnostics: A Critical Review and Forecast.

The diagnosis of infectious diseases is ineffective when the diagnostic test does not meet one or more of the necessary standards of affordability, accessibility, and accuracy. The World Health Organization further clarifies these standards with a set of criteria that has the acronym ASSURED (Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and robust, Equipment-free and Deliverable to end-users). The advancement of the digital age has led to a revision of the ASSURED criteria to REASSURED: Real-time connectivity, Ease of specimen collection, Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and robust, Equipment-free or simple, and Deliverable to end-users. Many diagnostic tests have been developed that aim to satisfy the REASSURED criteria; however, most of them only detect a single target. With the progression of syndromic infections, coinfections and the current antimicrobial resistance challenges, the need for multiplexed diagnostics is now more important than ever. This review summarizes current diagnostic technologies for multiplexed detection and forecasts which methods have promise for detecting multiple targets and meeting all REASSURED criteria.

Explicit definitions of potentially inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics in hospitalized older patients

ContextThe use of explicit definitions of potentially inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics (antibiotic PIPs) might constitute an innovative means to fight against antimicrobial resistance. Explicit definitions of PIPs can reduce the rate of inappropriate prescriptions, but explicit definitions of antibiotic PIPs in geriatric medicine are currently lacking. The objective of the study was to develop explicit definitions of antibiotic PIPs for hospitalized older patients. MethodWe performed a qualitative study of focus groups involving geriatricians and infectious disease specialists. The study complied with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Transcripts of audio recordings were analyzed in a two-step independent reviewing process. The exact wording of the definitions was validated by a steering committee, an independent expert group, and the focus group participants. ResultsThe four focus groups comprised 28 stakeholders. Our analysis identified 65 explicit definitions of antibiotic PIPs: 47 (73%) concerned misuse, 15 (23%) concerned overuse and three (5%) concerned underuse. Most definitions were related to critically important antibiotics: 11 (17%) for fluoroquinolones, eight (12%) for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, eight (12%) for cephalosporins, seven (11%) for aminoglycosides, and five (8%) for carbapenems. ConclusionTo address the public health challenge of antimicrobial resistance, our study generated explicit definitions for antibiotic PIPs in older patients. We intend to refine and to validate these definitions through a national Delphi survey; the resulting consensus might provide key messages for prescribers and open up perspectives for reducing the incidence of antibiotic PIPs.

Mammals' humoral immune proteins and peptides targeting the bacterial envelope: from natural protection to therapeutic applications against multidrug-resistant Gram-negatives.

ABSTRACTMammalian innate immunity employs several humoral ‘weapons’ that target the bacterial envelope. The threats posed by the multidrug‐resistant ‘ESKAPE’ Gram‐negative pathogens (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) are forcing researchers to explore new therapeutic options, including the use of these immune elements. Here we review bacterial envelope‐targeting (peptidoglycan and/or membrane‐targeting) proteins/peptides of the mammalian immune system that are most likely to have therapeutic applications. Firstly we discuss their general features and protective activity against ESKAPE Gram‐negatives in the host. We then gather, integrate, and discuss recent research on experimental therapeutics harnessing their bactericidal power, based on their exogenous administration and also on the discovery of bacterial and/or host targets that improve the performance of this endogenous immunity, as a novel therapeutic concept. We identify weak points and knowledge gaps in current research in this field and suggest areas for future work to obtain successful envelope‐targeting therapeutic options to tackle the challenge of antimicrobial resistance.

Mycobactin Analogues with Excellent Pharmacokinetic Profile Demonstrate Potent Antitubercular Specific Activity and Exceptional Efflux Pump Inhibition.

In this study, we have designed and synthesized pyrazoline analogues that partially mimic the structure of mycobactin, to address the requirement of novel therapeutics to tackle the emerging global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our investigation resulted in the identification of novel lead compounds 44 and 49 as potential mycobactin biosynthesis inhibitors against mycobacteria. Moreover, candidates efficiently eradicated intracellularly surviving mycobacteria. Thermofluorimetric analysis and molecular dynamics simulations suggested that compounds 44 and 49 bind to salicyl-AMP ligase (MbtA), a key enzyme in the mycobactin biosynthetic pathway. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first rationally designed mycobactin inhibitors to demonstrate an excellent in vivo pharmacokinetic profile. In addition, these compounds also exhibited more potent whole-cell efflux pump inhibition than known efflux pump inhibitors verapamil and chlorpromazine. Results from this study pave the way for the development of 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5-(aryl)-pyrazolines as a new weapon against superbug-associated AMR challenges.

Minimizing Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance Development in the Environment from a Public One Health Perspective.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a globally recognized crisis with meaningful engagement across humans, animals, and the environment as in the One Health approach. The environment is the potential source, reservoir, and transmission route of AMR, and it plays a key role in AMR development from the One Health perspective. Animal farming, hospitals, and the pharmaceutical industry are identified as the main emission sources in the environment. Minimizing emissions and determining antimicrobial emission limits are priorities in the containment of environmental AMR development. From the perspectives of environmental management and environmental engineering, some important actions to minimize risks of AMR development are summarized, including the recent progress in enhanced hydrolysis pre-treatment technology to control the development of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during biological wastewater treatment. It is desirable to establish a holistic framework to coordinate international actions on the containment of environmental AMR development. To establish a community with a shared future for humanity, China should and could play an important role in international cooperation to cope with AMR challenges.

Explainable Deep Learning Approach for Multilabel Classification of Antimicrobial Resistance With Missing Labels

Predicting Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) from genomic sequence data has become a significant component of overcoming the AMR challenge, especially given its potential for facilitating more rapid diagnostics and personalised antibiotic treatments. With the recent advances in sequencing technologies and computing power, deep learning models for genomic sequence data have been widely adopted to predict AMR more reliably and error-free. There are many different types of AMR; therefore, any practical AMR prediction system must be able to identify multiple AMRs present in a genomic sequence. Unfortunately, most genomic sequence datasets do not have all the labels marked, thereby making a deep learning modelling approach challenging owing to its reliance on labels for reliability and accuracy. This paper addresses this issue by presenting an effective deep learning solution, Mask-Loss 1D convolution neural network (ML-ConvNet), for AMR prediction on datasets with many missing labels. The core component of ML- ConvNet utilises a masked loss function that overcomes the effect of missing labels in predicting AMR. The proposed ML-ConvNet is demonstrated to outperform state-of-the-art methods in the literature by 10.5%, according to the F1 score. The proposed model’s performance is evaluated using different degrees of the missing label and is found to outperform the conventional approach by 76% in the F1 score when 86.68% of labels are missing. Furthermore, the ML-ConvNet was established with an explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) pipeline, thereby making it ideally suited for hospital and healthcare settings, where model interpretability is an essential requirement.

Knowledge and perceptions of Australian postgraduate veterinary students prior to formal education of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is widely perceived as a threat to human and animal health and a significant One Health issue with extensive and complex factors contributing to its occurrence and spread. Previous studies have surveyed human and animal health professionals to determine their perceptions regarding AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU). There are limited studies exploring the understanding of veterinary students despite their critical role as future antimicrobial prescribers. A cross-sectional survey was administered to an entire cohort of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Year 2 (DVM2) students (n = 136) to investigate their knowledge and perceptions regarding AMR and AMU prior to formal education on this issue. Ninety students (66.2% of the cohort) completed the survey. There was overwhelming agreement regarding the immediacy of the problem, with 84.4% of students indicating that ‘We must take action on AMR’. Despite more than 94.4% of students correctly defining AMR, specific knowledge regarding AMR impact, contributory causes to AMR and strategies to solve the challenge of AMR was variable. Most students perceived livestock producers to have a significant role in the perpetuation of AMR due to AMU for prophylaxis (71.1% substantial/moderate contribution) and treatment (56.7% substantial/moderate contribution). Over a third of respondents (37.8%) were unsure if AMR could spread from animals to humans. Respondents perceived that various groups (dentists, doctors, veterinarians, professional organisations) are all important in ameliorating the issue of AMR. The implementation of restrictive measures to reduce veterinary prescription of antimicrobials was viewed as less important than strategies involving education, hygiene, surveillance, and guideline development/availability. To encourage the development of good antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) practices, professional veterinary education needs to foster an understanding of the scientific, behavioural and social issues that contribute to AMR and inappropriate AMU, as well as prescribers' personal contribution to AMR perpetuation and amelioration.