Rethinking the words hotspot reservoir and pristine in the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance

Abstract We assess three words commonly used to represent the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – ‘hotspot’, ‘reservoir’ and ‘pristine’ – through two questions: how are these terms used in published research; and how do these terms shape research being conducted? We advocate...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Richard Helliwell, Isabel Ewin, Alexander D. Williams, Diane T. Levine, Andrew C. Singer, Sujatha Raman, Carol Morris, Dov J. Stekel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:npj Antimicrobials and Resistance
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s44259-025-00080-9
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract We assess three words commonly used to represent the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – ‘hotspot’, ‘reservoir’ and ‘pristine’ – through two questions: how are these terms used in published research; and how do these terms shape research being conducted? We advocate for the community to reflect on and improve its use of language, and suggest four potentially more productive and precise terms for AMR hazard: prevalence; transmission; evolution and connectivity.
ISSN:2731-8745