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The following is a summary of “Enhancing Role of Pharmacovigilance to Conventional Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance: Cross-sectional Identification and Analysis of Reports of Antibiotic Resistance in VigiBase,” published in the June 2025 issue of International Journal of Infectious Diseases by Mitchell et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to identify and analyze potential cases of antibiotic resistance (ABR) using a global pharmacovigilance database.  

They searched VigiBase, the WHO global database of adverse event reports, up to October 3, 2022, to identify suspected ABR cases. Reports were categorized as “Probable” or “Possible” ABR. 

The results showed that 24,312 potential ABR reports were identified, including 3,497 classified as “Probable” and 20,815 as “Possible” based on Preferred Terms. Among the “Probable” reports, 91.5% were deemed “Very Likely” or “Likely” linked to ABR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was reported in 38.3% of reviewed “Probable” and 7.2% of reviewed “Possible” reports, while prior antibiotic use was noted in 12.8% and 9.0%, respectively. The “Possible” reports showed less accuracy but provided valuable insights on unexpected antibiotic failure.  

Investigators concluded that this study offered a comprehensive overview of ABR reporting in VigiBase, identified terms with good accuracy that complement traditional surveillance, and highlighted important limitations and biases for future research. 

Source: ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(25)00171-7/fulltext