Building a Collaborative Network to Conduct a Comparative Study on Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Apparently Healthy Populations Across Multiple Regions in India

Antibiotics are crucial for treating infections, but their widespread, often unregulated use has led to a global health crisis: antibiotic resistance. This occurs when bacteria adapt to resist the drugs meant to kill them, making infections harder to treat. While most research on antibiotic resistance focuses on hospitalised patients or those with chronic illnesses, little is known about how antibiotic use affects healthy populations.This is concerning, as even healthy individuals can carry resistant bacteria, especially if they fail to complete their prescribed courses of antibiotics. Our project will focus on low-income communities, particularly in slum areas where literacy is limited, and antibiotics are often misused due to a lack of understanding regarding proper dosages or indications. We aim to establish a collaborative research network across regions of India and conduct a pilot study to explore antibiotic use in generally healthy populations and its contribution to antimicrobial resistance. Our proposed network of researchers and institutions will enhance our ability to gather region-specific data, enabling us to identify patterns in antibiotic consumption and resistance in healthy individuals.By sharing knowledge and expertise, we will better understand how environmental and lifestyle factors influence resistance. Furthermore, this collaboration will strengthen future grant applications for larger studies in India, including more samples and locations. The study’s findings could guide public health strategies to promote responsible antibiotic use, helping to combat the growing threat of resistance. Establishing this network will foster long-term collaboration, leading to more effective, region-specific interventions and ensuring antibiotics remain effective for future generations.