Tackling the disparities in surgical site infections and related antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The financial burden, morbidity, and mortality of surgical site infection (SSI) is a global issue. Incidence rates of SSI are high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with evidence of surge in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in these regions. This mini review aimed to collect and analyze existing data on SSI incidence and the associated AMR in LMICs to address some concerns about causes and control strategies.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, AMED, Biosis, and CINAHL were all searched for this study until June 8, 2025. We included all studies comparing disparities in surgical site infections and related antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries.

RESULTS

The overall SSI incidence in LMICs is higher than in high-income countries . The intertwined relationship between SSI and the rising AMR burden further complicates the issue. The emergence of AMR is driven by inappropriate antibiotic use, poor regulatory oversight and stewardship, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, economic limitations that result in incomplete or informal treatments, weak surveillance systems, and environmental contamination from hospitals, agriculture, and wastewater. Vaccination, sanitation and hygiene, infection control, education, alternative therapies consideration of, antimicrobial stewardship, and prevention, are strategies to prevent and reduce the development of AMR.

CONCLUSION

AMR is a dire global problem that requires immediate action to combat its spread. Effective AMR surveillance from a "One Health" viewpoint is needed in LMICs to map and track the spread of resistance. Environmental resistome sample is required to detect the factors influencing resistance. Searching for solution to colistin resistance, a last resort antibiotic, is critical.