Antibiotic Resistance in WHO Priority Bacteria: South-East Asia’s Looming Crisis

Abstract

One of the biggest concerns to world health is still antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which disproportionately affects South and Southeast Asian nations. According to latest WHO research, bacterial AMR is projected to be responsible for approximately 5 million fatalities per year by 2025. Self-medication, illogical antibiotic usage, inadequate sanitation, and unregulated antibiotic use in the poultry, aquaculture, and agricultural sectors all contribute to the acceleration of resistance in these areas. Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus are among the resistant Gram-negative pathogens that represent a serious threat, according to the World Health Organization's 2024 edition of the Global Priority Pathogens List (GPP). GLASS, the World Health Organization's Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System has expanded to over 130 countries by 2024, with enhanced modules to monitor antimicrobial use and resistance patterns in real time. Southeast Asia remains a high-risk zone for the appearance and dissemination of multidrug-resistant organisms, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and colistin-resistant Acinetobacter species, with increasing detection of resistance genes such as blaNDM-5 and mcr variants. This review highlights the evolving resistance trends in South and Southeast Asia, focusing on high-priority pathogens and their mechanisms of resistance—such as efflux pumps, target modification, and enzymatic degradation. The abstract concludes by stressing the importance of coordinated surveillance, antimicrobial stewardship, cross-border collaboration, and One Health strategies to effectively curb the spread of resistance and safeguard future treatment efficacy.