Overview of the ASM-IISc Symposium on the One Health Approach to AMR in Bengaluru, India

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a systemic global threat, frequently described as a silent pandemic due to the challenges in attributing mortality to drug-resistant infections. Addressing this crisis necessitates a paradigm shift from viewing AMR as a linear consequence of antibiotic exposure to understanding it as an emergent property of ecological systems and metabolic plasticity. The ASM-IISc Symposium on the One Health Approach to AMR brought together a multidisciplinary cohort to deliberate on the drivers and solutions for resistance at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. Key thematic deliberations highlighted the role of technology in predicting resistance evolution and identifying novel targets for drug combinations. Furthermore, the symposium underscored the necessity of ecology-driven surveillance, extending genomic monitoring to environmental reservoirs. Ultimately, these findings establish a roadmap toward proactive, predictive, and integrated One Health strategies. Solutions demand mechanistic research and ecosystem-level interventions that bridge molecular insight with global public health strategy.