Bacterial Pathogens Priority List

About Bacterial Pathogens Priority List:

• It is an important tool in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.
• Background
  • In 2017, WHO developed the first BPPL to guide investment into the R&D of new antibacterials and it listed 13 bacterial pathogens (phenotypes).
  • It was developed with the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method (15).
  • MCDA is a decision-making scientific method that mounts and evaluates alternatives based on multiple criteria, facilitating systematic and transparent decision-making in complex options
• The 2024 WHO BPPL covers 24 pathogens, spanning 15 families of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. 
• The 2024 list categorizes these pathogens into critical, high, and medium priority groups to inform research and development (R&D) and public health interventions.
• Significance
  • The WHO BPPL acts as a guide for prioritizing R&D and investments in AMR, emphasizing the need for regionally tailored strategies to effectively combat resistance.
  • It targets developers of antibacterial medicines, academic and public research institutions, research funders, and public–private partnerships investing in AMR R&D, as well as policy-makers responsible for developing and implementing AMR policies and programs.

What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

• It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines, making people sicker and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness and deaths.
• It is driven in large part by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials.

Q1: What is a parasite?

A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host.

Source: WHO updates Bacterial Pathogens Priority List as critical priority pathogens continue to present major global threat