Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 May 18;16(5):e60551.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.60551. eCollection 2024 May.

From Protection to Prevention: Redefining Vaccines in the Context of Antimicrobial Resistance

Mohammed Sallam  1   2 , Johan Snygg  3   4 , Doaa Allam  1   5 , Rana Kassem  1   6
Affiliations
Review

From Protection to Prevention: Redefining Vaccines in the Context of Antimicrobial Resistance

Mohammed Sallam et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health, compromising the effectiveness of treatments and increasing medical risks. In this crisis, the importance of vaccines in reducing AMR is being increasingly acknowledged, although not thoroughly explored. This literature review asserts that vaccines can significantly lessen the occurrence of infections, thereby reducing the need for antibiotics and limiting the emergence of resistance. Vaccines play a crucial role in antimicrobial stewardship programs by preventing diseases that would otherwise necessitate the use of antibiotics. Expanding vaccine coverage supports responsible usage of antimicrobials and aligns with global health priorities to maintain effective medical interventions. This review emphasizes the need for equitable funding and policy support for vaccine initiatives comparable to new antibiotics and diagnostic techniques. Moreover, it calls for more detailed investigations into vaccines' economic and health benefits in managing AMR, highlighting their potential as cost-effective solutions to this urgent health challenge. Through a careful analysis of existing literature, this review highlights the fundamental role of vaccines in transforming the landscape of AMR, shifting the focus from a protective approach to a preventive health strategy.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance‎; antimicrobial stewardship program; immunization; infection‎; overuse of antibiotics; vaccine development; vaccine hesitancy; vaccines‎.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Historical trends in the licensing of antibiotic groups and vaccines by decade
Information obtained from [1,8,9]‎ Graph Credit: Dr. Mohammed Sallam
Figure 2
Figure 2. Innovative approaches to combat AMR
AMR: antimicrobial resistance Image Source: Micoli et al., 2021 [15]
Figure 3
Figure 3. An illustrative pathway showing the influence of vaccines on AMR
AMR: antimicrobial resistance Image Source: The Annex to Immunization Agenda 2030 by the World Health Organization 2020 [19]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Antibiotics: past, present and future. Hutchings MI, Truman AW, Wilkinson B. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2019;51:72–80. - PubMed
    1. Michael A, Michele C, Elias M. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2020. Challenges to tackling antimicrobial resistance economic and policy responses: economic and policy responses.
    1. Antimicrobial Resistance. [ Apr; 2024 ]. 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance
    1. How new vaccines can help with our antibiotic dependence. Vanderslott S. https://ourworldindata.org/vaccines-antibiotic-dependence Our World in Data. 2017
    1. The potential role of vaccines in preventing antimicrobial resistance (AMR): an update and future perspectives. Costanzo V, Roviello GN. Vaccines (Basel) 2023;11:333. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources