Foreword – A decade of science, partnership and progress in tackling antimicrobial resistance

Published on 14/11/2025.

The last comprehensive Scientific and Technical Review issue on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the animal health sector was published by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in 2012. At that time, AMR was recognised as a growing concern, but its visibility in the political arena was limited, and its economic and environmental dimensions were less clearly articulated. Much has changed in the intervening 13 years. AMR is now widely acknowledged as one of the most pressing global health threats, sitting alongside climate change and pandemic preparedness in its scope and urgency. This Review issue arrives at a pivotal moment to take stock of progress, lessons learnt and the path forward.

This Review issue is structured into five interconnected sections, designed to reflect the breadth of the challenge:

• Section 1: Understanding AMR. Articles address the impacts of AMR across health, economic and environmental dimensions; cross-sectoral transmission dynamics; and implications for food safety, animal production and trade.
• Section 2: Monitoring and surveillance. This section reviews current surveillance systems, integrated initiatives at national and regional levels, and innovations to strengthen monitoring of antimicrobial use (AMU) and AMR.
• Section 3: Interventions. This section focuses on prevention and stewardship, covering biosecurity, vaccination, diagnostics, alternatives to antibiotics, stewardship, and the socio-economic evaluation of interventions.
• Section 4: Sector-specific challenges and advances. Articles examine AMR in livestock, aquaculture, companion animals and wildlife, recognising both sectoral specificities and cross-sectoral linkages.
• Section 5: Cross-cutting themes. The final section explores governance, economics, stakeholder engagement and environmental dimensions, highlighting the broader systems context within which AMR evolves.

Collectively, these sections are designed to provide a ‘state of the art’ synthesis, one that is evidence-informed, globally relevant and forward-looking.