The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 12 families of bacteria that are most in need of new antibiotic treatments. They are divided into three categories: critical, high and moderate. These 12 bacteria are prioritized based on the level of resistance already present in each. The issue is critical as antibiotic-resistant superbugs become more common.
Critical pathogens are those that cause serious infections and high mortality rates. Three bacteria are listed as critical: Acinetobacter Baumannii, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, and Enterobacterales.
High Priority Bacteria
Enterococcus faecium: Enterococci have developed a variety of mechanisms of resistance to several antibiotics like aminoglycosides, B-lactams, tetracyclines, quinolones, and vancomycin (glycopeptide).
Staphylococcus aureus: S. aureus strains are resistant to the isoxazoyl penicillins such as methicillin, oxacillin and flucloxacillin and resistant to vancomycin-intermediate.
Helicobacter pylori: Helicobacter pylori infections have been treated using the macrolide antibiotic, clarithromycin. Clarithromycin resistance is increasing worldwide and is the most common cause of H. pylori treatment failure.
Campylobacter spp.: Campylobacter remain a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. Fluoroquinolones are among the most common treatments. Selection pressure in the presence of fluoroquinolones rapidly leads to resistance in Campylobacter.
Salmonellae: Salmonella is co-resistance to the first-line antibiotics ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Resistance of Salmonella to fluoroquinolone has been increasingly reported after the introduction of fluoroquinolone drug therapy.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is rapidly increasing. Extensively resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is resistant to both penicillins, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and macrolides.