UNIMELB_LAMBERT-Holly_VYT-LOCAL-2025.mp4

<p dir="ltr"><b>In this VYT (Visualise Your Thesis) video, I summarise the main aspects of my PhD on antimicrobial resistance in horses. Using timelapse recording of an animation drawn on Procreate, I aim to highlight the aims and overall impact of my work as well as providing some background and insight into the methods. This 60 second video was a creative way to explore different methods of communicating my research to a diverse audience.</b></p><p dir="ltr"><b>TRANSCRIPT</b></p><p dir="ltr">"Imagine a world where common bacterial infections are no longer treatable with antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest global health threats of our era, with major impacts on human health, animal welfare the environment and our economy. The problem is complex and solving the issue isn’t simple. We need a One Health approach - one that brings together human health, veterinary practice, environmental policy, and public education. My project focuses on- this aspect (zoom). I’m exploring tools to implement in equine veterinary practice that improve the use of antibiotics and safeguard their efficacy well into the future. How? Through surveys, interviews and analysis of use and resistance data we aim to establish the first equine antibiotic resistance surveillance program in Australia. This project represents a crucial piece in the puzzle of addressing the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance."</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Background</b></p><p dir="ltr">In 1927, a lucky discovery by Alexander Fleming, demonstrated the potential of a substance produced by the fungal species penicillium in culture which would go on to change the world of medicine. ^1,2 This was the beginning of a huge string of research which ultimately led to the golden age of antibiotics.² Since then, bacteria have been developing resistance to each antibiotic developed and we now face the very real scenario of a global health crisis relating to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).³ The impact of which extends beyond the human and animal health sectors and into environmental, political and economic realms.^3–9 Globally, there were almost 5 million AMR related deaths in 2019.^10,11 Infections that were once managed with the range of antibiotics available are no longer responding to these treatments.</p><p dir="ltr">The driving forces for the development and spread and AMR are well described in literature and are an important area of ongoing research.^5,6,12–15 Population growth and increased herd sizes and proximity of humans to domestic pets, livestock and wildlife raise the risk of infectious disease transmission, both from animals to humans and vice versa.¹⁶ Antimicrobial resistance is no exception and on top of this the use of antibiotics creates a selection pressure for bacterial adaptation that is unparalleled in the natural environment.¹⁰ So, whilst the appropriate use of antibiotics is important to reduce bacterial burden and treat infection in our patients, its inappropriate application cannot be justified.^17,18 Attention and awareness of the issue of inappropriate antimicrobial use (AMU) has been growing in the human health context for some time, however focused and veterinary specific investigation is needed to understand the nuanced differences for effective and sustainable change to come about. The World Health Organisation recognises that a One Health approach is crucial to addressing the issue of antimicrobial resistance, with the veterinary industry comprising an important part.^19-20</p><p dir="ltr">My PhD project focuses on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in equine veterinary practice in Australia. Through qualitative and quantitative methods we are investigating antibiotic prescribing behaviours of equine veterinarians and current antimicrobial resistance patterns in the equine population. This project contributes to the overall antimicrobial stewardship efforts required to safeguard effective antimicrobials well into our future.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p dir="ltr">References</p><p dir="ltr">1. Fleming, A. On the Antibacterial Action of Cultures of a Penicillium, with Special Reference to their Use in the Isolation of B. influenzæ. <i>Br J Exp Pathol</i> 10, 226–236 (1929).</p><p dir="ltr">2. Aminov, R. I. A Brief History of the Antibiotic Era: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future. <i>Front Microbiol</i> 1, 134 (2010).</p><p dir="ltr">3. World Health Organization. The evolving threat of antimicrobial resistance : options for action. (2012).</p><p dir="ltr">4. Larsson, D. G. J. & Flach, C.-F. Antibiotic resistance in the environment. <i>Nat Rev Microbiol</i> 20, 257–269 (2022).</p><p dir="ltr">5. Swift, B. M. C. <i>et al.</i> Anthropogenic environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife. <i>Science of The Total Environment</i> 649, 12–20 (2019).</p><p dir="ltr">6. Ahammad, Z. S., Sreekrishnan, T. R., Hands, C. L., Knapp, C. W. & Graham, D. W. Increased Waterborne blaNDM-1 Resistance Gene Abundances Associated with Seasonal Human Pilgrimages to the Upper Ganges River. <i>Environ. Sci. Technol.</i> 48, 3014–3020 (2014).</p><p dir="ltr">7. Founou, L. L., Founou, R. C. & Essack, S. Y. Antimicrobial resistance in the farm-to-plate continuum: more than a food safety issue. <i>Future Sci OA</i> 7, FSO692.</p><p dir="ltr">8. Rodrigues da Costa, M. & Diana, A. A Systematic Review on the Link between Animal Welfare and Antimicrobial Use in Captive Animals. <i>Animals (Basel)</i> 12, 1025 (2022).</p><p dir="ltr">9. Klein, E. Y. <i>et al.</i> Global trends in antibiotic consumption during 2016–2023 and future projections through 2030. <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</i> 121, e2411919121 (2024).</p><p dir="ltr">10. CDC. About Antimicrobial Resistance. <i>Antimicrobial Resistance</i> https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/about/index.html (2024).</p><p dir="ltr">11. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis. <i>Lancet</i> 399, 629–655 (2022).</p><p dir="ltr">12. Thrusfield, M. <i>Veterinary Epidemiology</i>. (John Wiley & Sons, 2018).</p><p dir="ltr">13. Guillemot, D. <i>et al.</i> Low Dosage and Long Treatment Duration of β-LactamRisk Factors for Carriage of Penicillin-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. <i>JAMA</i> 279, 365–370 (1998).</p><p dir="ltr">14. Huber, L. <i>et al.</i> Geographic Drivers of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Pigs in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand. <i>Front. Vet. Sci.</i> 8, (2021).</p><p dir="ltr">15. Hounmanou, Y. M. G. <i>et al.</i> ESBL and AmpC β-Lactamase Encoding Genes in E. coli From Pig and Pig Farm Workers in Vietnam and Their Association With Mobile Genetic Elements. <i>Front. Microbiol.</i> 12, (2021).</p><p dir="ltr">16. Jones, B. A. <i>et al.</i> Zoonosis emergence linked to agricultural intensification and environmental change. <i>Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A</i> 110, 8399–8404 (2013).</p><p dir="ltr">17. Couper, M. R. Strategies for the Rational Use of Antimicrobials. <i>Clinical Infectious Diseases</i> 24, S154–S156 (1997).</p><p dir="ltr">18. Millar, M. Can antibiotic use be both just and sustainable… or only more or less so? <i>Journal of Medical Ethics</i> 37, 153–157 (2011).</p><p dir="ltr">19. Antimicrobial resistance. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance.</p><p dir="ltr">20. Hardefeldt, L. Y. & Thursky, K. One Health antimicrobial resistance: stewardship in Australia. <i>Microbiol. Aust.</i> 45, 79–82 (2024).</p>