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Review
. 2022 Apr 20:818:151702.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151702. Epub 2021 Nov 16.

Delineating the impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance: An Indian perspective

P S Seethalakshmi  1 , Oliver J Charity  2 , Theodoros Giakoumis  3 , George Seghal Kiran  4 , Shiranee Sriskandan  5 , Nikolaos Voulvoulis  6 , Joseph Selvin  7
Affiliations
Review

Delineating the impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance: An Indian perspective

P S Seethalakshmi et al. Sci Total Environ. .

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.

Keywords: AMR; Antimicrobial manufacturing waste; Antimicrobial residues; COVID-19; Empirical consumption.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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