To make a long story short: In the future the available antimicrobial agents might not be effective in the treatment of many life-threatening bacterial infections in both humans and domestic animals.

The message is very simple but if you read it a few times and think about the possible consequences the message sends a shiver down your spine.

Microbiologists have long been warning about our challenges in 21st century as many scientists predicted the possibility of an emerging viral pandemic¹. In the real world, we saw how unprepared we are against such eventualities. The same story is true for the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem as Alexander Fleming in his 1945 interview with The New York Times warned that misuse of antimicrobials leads to the selection of resistant bacteria ².

It is likely that many scientific facts and predictions may not be implemented as obligatory rules in policymaking by countries and health authorities because they might be so busy with the smaller problems of daily life than finding proactive solutions.

The AMR is a multifaceted problem that needs a holistic view to be solved. We need to understand the one health perspective that considers human, animal, and environmental health as an integrated system. Despite the urgent need for developing such systems, the one health approach still looks like an interesting idea rather than a practical action-oriented approach in most situations or in most developing countries ^{3, 4}.

It is noteworthy that AMR has been considered a global challenge for sustainable development goals (SDG) of many countries across the world as discussed in the UN General Assembly in April 2021 ⁵ Volkan Bozkir the president of the UN general assembly highlighted the global importance of this unnoticed problem “ Antimicrobial Resistance is the invisible pandemic we ignore at our peril. Measures to tackle AMR must be central to future pandemic preparedness and COVID-19 recovery plans. The One Health approach will help us to better recognize the interconnections between people, animals, plants, and our shared environment so that we can make our world healthier for all “.⁵

In the 21st century, we, the global residents of planet earth are connected more than ever and a rising problem in a specific region could become an international crisis a few years later. On the other hand, there are several economic or geographical boundaries that prevent researchers from working together to solve large-scale global problems like AMR. How can we predict a better future when the problems are so intertwined and complex today?

Many scientists have already proved that they are ready to work together for a better future, despite difficulties and limited resources. It seems that we need more international research groups in order to find more practical solutions for multifaceted problems like AMR.

The BMC series proved to be an excellent community that puts together different ideas of international importance openly accessible worldwide. We are delighted to announce a new collection on AMR at BMC Veterinary Research, entitled Combatting Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance.

Submission to the collection is open until 31 March 2022, and we are pleased to invite researchers to share their valuable ideas of global importance to be considered for this collection.

1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/experts-warned-pandemic-decades-ago-why-not-ready-for-coronavirus [ Accessed: 1 August 2021)
2. Noah Rosenblatt-Farrell (2009) The Landscape of Antibiotic Resistance, Environ Health Perspect. 117(6): A244–A250  [doi: 1289/ehp.117-a244 ]
3. https://onehealthinitiative.com/ [ Accessed: 1 August 2021]
4. Mitchell M.E.V. et al. (2020) The challenges of investigating antimicrobial resistance in Vietnam – what benefits does a One Health approach offer the animal and human health sectors? BMC Public Health. 20: 213 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8319-3)
5. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1397025/icode/ [ Accessed: 1 August 2021]