Multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens are microorganisms—primarily bacteria—that have acquired resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. Their prevalence poses significant challenges in clinical treatment, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and greater healthcare costs.
Multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections have emerged as a global healthcare crisis, rendering many standard treatments ineffective and threatening the success of modern medicine. The clinical burden of MDR organisms such as MRSA, CRE, ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, VRE, and XDR-TB is escalating across both developed and developing nations.
This session explores the real-world clinical consequences of MDR infections, discussing their epidemiology, diagnosis, management strategies, infection control, and policy implications. A special focus will be placed on hospital-acquired infections, resistance in immunocompromised patients, and the need for multidisciplinary collaboration.
Key topics to be addressed:
- Prevalence and burden of MDR pathogens in healthcare settings
- Clinical management of infections caused by MDR organisms
- Challenges in antibiotic selection and dosing for MDR pathogens
- Role of rapid diagnostics in guiding treatment decisions
- Infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship programs
- MDR in special populations (ICU patients, transplant recipients, neonates)
- Global policy efforts and One Health approach to tackle MDR
- Future outlook: new drugs, combination therapies, phage therapy, vaccines
This track is ideal for infectious disease physicians, microbiologists, intensivists, pharmacists, hospital administrators, and public health professionals addressing the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.