Vaccines as Potential Frontliners Against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): A Focused Review

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens global health by reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics and complicating infection treatment, prompting renewed interest in vaccines as a key preventive strategy. Vaccines can significantly reduce antibiotic use and healthcare costs by preventing bacterial infections, thereby limiting opportunities for resistance to develop. Promising progress has been made toward vaccines targeting major drug-resistant pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, E. coli, and S. aureus. However, challenges remain—particularly the difficulty of developing vaccines against highly variable and immune-evasive ESKAPE pathogens, as well as economic and logistical barriers that restrict vaccine access in low- and middle-income countries. Strengthening vaccine research, development, and equitable deployment is therefore essential to prevent infections, reduce antibiotic dependence, and curb the global spread of resistant bacteria.