One Health Approaches to Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research at Bristol Veterinary School is coordinated through our research group, AMR Force, initiated and led by Professor Kristen Reyher. We work to help tackle the global issue of antimicrobial resistance through a plurality of approaches; locally, nationally and internationally.
This successful research group has secured millions of pounds worth of funding from public funders (DEFRA, University of Bristol), Research Councils UK (BBSRC, ESRC, EPSRC, MRC, NERC), industry bodies (AHDB Dairy, AHDB Beef and Sheep, MSD Animal Health, Zoetis UK, WD Farmers, Coombe Farm), Charity funders (Soil Association, Dogs Trust, The Langford Trust) and international bodies (EU Horizon 2020, Formas Sweden)
Some of the major questions addressed by our research include:
- Can we use medicine audits to encourage responsible medicine use by veterinarians? (David Barrett, Kristen Reyher)
- Can we impact the way veterinarians prescribe medicines? (David Barrett, Christina Maunder, Kristen Reyher, Veronica Roberts)
- Can we understand the way antimicrobials are used on farms, and promote stewardship of these medicines?
- Can we assist in developing medicines use policy with policy-makers, veterinarians and farmers (using participatory or other approaches)? (David Barrett, Kristen Reyher, Maria Paula Escobar-Tello)
- Does reducing antimicrobial use impact patterns of resistance? (Matthew Avison, David Barrett, Tristan Cogan, Kristen Reyher, Katy Turner)
- How do microbes and AMR genes cycle in the environment? ( Matthew Avison, Kristen Reyher, David Barrett)
- Can the development of AMR data platforms help our understanding of AMR and antimicrobial use? (Andy Dowsey, Fernando Sanchez-Vizcaino Buendia, Kristen Reyher)
- What advances in diagnostic technologies would be most useful in reducing antimicrobial use in agriculture? (Kristen Reyher)
We are uniquely placed to combine our veterinary expertise with those of others working in the field of AMR through close collaborations, including social scientists, animal welfare scientists, epidemiologists, microbiologists, human medics, pharmacists, policy-makers, key stakeholders and government. We have a strong history of providing leadership, advice and policy influence in the field of AMR and work closely with the team at Bristol AMR to coordinate efforts across the wider university.