Communicable E66: Diagnostics in the AMR era

Ahead of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), Communicable presents a special episode exploring the role of diagnostics within the space of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Hosts Thomas Tängdén and Annie Joseph are joined by experts Betsy Wonderly Trainor of CARB-X (USA) and Marc Mendelson of Groote Schuur Hospital (South Africa) to discuss how diagnostics can help address the AMR crisis by guiding targeted treatment and reducing unnecessary antibiotic use. They explore the limitations of current diagnostic tools, the challenges of implementing them across different healthcare settings, and the need for incentives to encourage investment in diagnostic innovation.

Further reading:

• Gigante V, et al. Diagnostics for priority bacterial pathogens: global gaps and research needs for curbing antimicrobial resistance in low-resource settings. Lancet Microbe 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2026.101385
• Miller M, et al. Clinical Utility of Advanced Microbiology Testing Tools. J Clin Microbiol 2019. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00459-19