Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
Volume 15, 2017, Pages 23-28

Refugees and antimicrobial resistance: A systematic review (Review)

de Smalen A.W. , Ghorab H. , Abd El Ghany M.* , Hill-Cawthorne G.A.
  • a School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • b School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • c The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, The Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • d School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, The Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Abstract

Background There is a large increase in the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide and a lack of data on the carriage of antimicrobial resistance in refugee/asylum seeking groups. Methods This article aims to identify the impact of refugees and asylum seekers on the acquisition and transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through a literature search. The databases Embase, Medline, Pubmed, and Web of Science Core Collection were utilised and covered all articles before the 1st of October 2016. In total, 577 articles were identified, and studies were eligible if they met the selection criteria, including observational study design, English language, and AMR strains reported in absolute numbers. In total, 17 articles met the criteria, the majority were from the European region. Results Articles fitting the selection criteria exclusively reported AMR in bacterial species including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, K. oxytoca, Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, and Acinetobacter baumannii. The analyses indicated that a high percentage of AMR strains, have been circulating among refugees and asylum seekers. Conclusion The displacement of refugees and asylum seekers seem to play a key role in the transmission of AMR. Therefore, improved AMR control measures are essential. A knowledge gap was identified; further research is strongly recommended. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd

Author Keywords

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Asylum seeker Refugee Multidrug resistance (MDR)

Index Keywords

refugee transmission drug effects Escherichia coli Europe human Refugees Shigella antibiotic agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis priority journal nonhuman Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial asylum seeker Humans Staphylococcus aureus Enterococcus faecium Review Klebsiella oxytoca Klebsiella pneumoniae Bacteria bacterium multidrug resistance Bacterial Infections microbiology antibiotic resistance antiinfective agent Anti-Infective Agents Anti-Bacterial Agents bacterial strain Acinetobacter baumannii
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85008330504&doi=10.1016%2fj.tmaid.2016.12.001&partnerID=40&md5=3e252f733c11a97e399510af3491e631
DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2016.12.001
ISSN: 14778939
Cited by: 17
Original Language: English