Scottish One Health Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance in 2018

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a major public health issue. AMR occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria, adapt to survive exposure to a treatment that would normally kill them. Inappropriate and unnecessary antibiotic use speeds up the development of AMR. A ‘One Health’ approach is required to tackle AMR and its drivers across all settings (humans, animals and the environment). This report provides information relating to antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in a range of human and animal infections in Scotland. This is the first time that the report has included animal antimicrobial use data from small animal veterinary practices and environmental antimicrobial resistance data. The report is intended to support planning, prioritisation and evaluation of initiatives to optimise antimicrobial use and to minimise antimicrobial resistance.

Disclaimer: Documents published before 16 March 2020 were produced by Health Protection Scotland (HPS).