Integration of Genomics into the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network of Cambodia

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global concern. An estimated 4.95 million deaths in 2019 were associated with bacterial AMR, of which 1.27 million deaths were attributable to bacterial AMR. In Cambodia, national AMR surveillance has been in effect since the AMR Technical Working Group was established in 2012. The current system outlined in the Laboratory-Based Antimicrobial Sentinel Surveillance Standard Operation Procedure (November 2017) collects data from 8 sentinel sites. Cambodia has reported data to GLASS since 2018. PHD formed a collaboration with the Cambodia Communicable Disease Center (CCDC) and 11 Cambodian regional hospitals to pilot a study of the AMR landscape in Cambodia. The objective of this collaboration was to use next-generation sequencing techniques to discover common and novel AMR genes in bacterial isolates, to inform national surveillance and clinical practice.