The Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance: How the Updated 2024 WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List is Combating Global Health Threats

The 2024 WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (WHO BPPL) is a crucial tool in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance. This updated edition builds on the 2017 version to better prioritize antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens to tackle the ever-evolving challenges of resistance. The list categorizes pathogens into critical, high, and medium priority groups to guide research and development (R&D) efforts and public health interventions.

Covering 24 pathogens across 15 families of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens, the 2024 WHO BPPL includes Gram-negative bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics, drug-resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis, and other high-burden resistant pathogens like Salmonella, Shigella, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. These pathogens were selected based on their global impact in terms of burden, as well as issues related to transmissibility, treatability, and prevention options.

The WHO BPPL serves as a roadmap for prioritizing R&D and investments in antimicrobial resistance (AMR), emphasizing the need for region-specific strategies to effectively combat resistance. It targets developers of antibacterial medicines, academic and public research institutions, research funders, public-private partnerships investing in AMR R&D, as well as policy-makers responsible for developing and implementing AMR policies and programs.

For more information on the rationale behind the list, the methodologies used to develop it