How Luxembourg is tackling growing antibiotic resistance

The annual report on antibiotic consumption, antibiotic resistance and residues in food and the environment paints an alarming but manageable picture. The problem is global: according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), more than 35,000 deaths each year in the EU, Norway and Iceland are linked to treatment-resistant infections. The World Health Organisation lists antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest threats of the 21st century.

In Luxembourg, medical use of antibiotics was above the European average in 2023 and has continued to grow since 2021. Although the level of resistance of pathogens to most drugs is still lower than the EU average, an increase was recorded compared to 2022. On the positive side, the decrease in resistance to fluoroquinolones in Gram-negative bacteria suggests that targeted measures may be having an effect.

Specialists recommend that doctors use narrow-spectrum antibiotics more frequently and strengthen infection prevention measures - from vaccination to hand hygiene and wearing masks in certain environments. This, the report emphasises, remains the most effective barrier to the transmission of resistant infections.

A very different dynamic is observed in veterinary medicine. Luxembourg is among the EU countries with the lowest sales of antibiotics for animals. Resistance monitoring in farm animals and food safety monitoring show more favourable results than in neighbouring countries. However, the challenge remains to reduce the use of so-called "critical antibiotics" and to establish more detailed records of their use.

In the food and environment sector, the situation is satisfactory: no non-compliant antibiotic residues were detected in food and feed in 2023. Traces of drugs have been detected in water bodies, but it is difficult to assess their impact due to the lack of environmental quality standards and limited research.

The report emphasises the importance of the One Health approach, which integrates human, veterinary and environmental medicine. Genomic sequencing of Salmonella strains has shown that resistance can be transmitted both between humans and from animals to humans, making surveillance cross-cutting and cross-sectoral.

Overall, Luxembourg maintains its position as a country with a "relatively favourable" level of antibiotic resistance. But a new phase of the national Antibiotics Plan is needed to fulfil the objectives of the new EU Council recommendation (June 2023). Its preparation is already underway.