Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,693 studies31 sourcesUpdated 35 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDBiosafety and health

Evolving priorities in the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List

  • Zhenlin Ouyang1
  • Wenbo He1
  • Xiaoyu He2
  • Min Jiao1
  • Youjun Feng3
  • Yurong Wen1
  1. 1Center for Microbiome Research of Med-X Institute, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Sepsis in Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China
  2. 2The Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Disease of Ministry of Education Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China
  3. 3Key Laboratory of Multiple Organ Failure (Ministry of Education), Departments of Microbiology and General Intensive Care Unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

The 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) updates the 2017 framework by expanding to 24 pathogens across 15 bacterial families, addressing the growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, which was estimated to have caused 1.27 million deaths in 2019. The revised list introduces four new pathogen-antibiotic combinations—rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, macrolide-resistant Group A Streptococci, macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and penicillin-resistant Group B Streptococci—while removing five, including clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori, reflecting evolving resistance patterns, regional disparities, and therapeutic advancements. Notably, third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales is now a standalone critical-priority pathogen due to its high burden in low- and middle-income countries. This review examines these updates, driven by complex resistance mechanisms, surveillance gaps, and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related antibiotic misuse. It highlights trends such as the dominance of Gram-negative bacteria, rising rates of community-acquired infections, and the urgent need for innovative therapies, including phage therapy, phenazine-based antimicrobials, and metal-based strategies. Enhanced global surveillance, equitable access to treatments, and collaborative efforts are critical to combating AMR effectively.

Related

  1. The evolving landscape of fungal keratitis: from emerging pathogens to precision diagnostics and novel therapeutics
    Sourav Das, Mansi Jain, Agimanailiu Khapuinamai +1
    Future MicrobiologyPeer-reviewedLicence not statedFull textGeneral medicinePMC
  2. Scottish priorities for dementia and brain health research-results of a national research priority setting exercise.
    Fenna Maria Alexandra Lunter, Winnie Henry, David Ross +9
    Age and ageingPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textPsychiatry & mental healthEurope PMC
  3. Genomic prediction of antimicrobial resistance in priority healthcare pathogens using Staramr
    MacKenzie A. P. Wilke, Laura F. Mataseje, Nicole Lerminiaux +12
    Microbiology SpectrumPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textInfectious diseasePMC
  4. Design and evaluation of a streamlined enrichment method for faster co-detection of enteric bacterial pathogens in natural soils and environmental samples
    E. Madson, A. Kapanka, S. Kwamutakha +9
    medRxivPreprintCC BY-NC-NDFull textEpidemiology & public healthmedRxiv
  5. Efficacy of polymyxin B against different pathogens in carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacterial pneumonia and its relationship with alveolar epithelial lining fluid concentration: a prospective cohort study
    Xuanxi Huang, Mengjie Song, Xueyong Li +7
    Annals of MedicinePeer-reviewedCC BYFull textGeneral medicineDOAJ

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ouyang2026evolving,
  title = {{Evolving priorities in the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List}},
  author = {Zhenlin Ouyang and Wenbo He and Xiaoyu He and Min Jiao and Youjun Feng and Yurong Wen},
  journal = {Biosafety and health},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1016/j.bsheal.2026.07.004},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729071},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Evolving priorities in the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List
AU  - Zhenlin Ouyang
AU  - Wenbo He
AU  - Xiaoyu He
AU  - Min Jiao
AU  - Youjun Feng
AU  - Yurong Wen
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/21
JO  - Biosafety and health
DO  - 10.1016/j.bsheal.2026.07.004
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729071
AB  - The 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) updates the 2017 framework by expanding to 24 pathogens across 15 bacterial families, addressing the growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis, which was estimated to have caused 1.27 million deaths in 2019. The revised list introduces four new pathogen-antibiotic combinations—rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, macrolide-resistant Group A Streptococci, macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and penicillin-resistant Group B Streptococci—while removing five, including clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori, reflecting evolving resistance patterns, regional disparities, and therapeutic advancements. Notably, third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales is now a standalone critical-priority pathogen due to its high burden in low- and middle-income countries. This review examines these updates, driven by complex resistance mechanisms, surveillance gaps, and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related antibiotic misuse. It highlights trends such as the dominance of Gram-negative bacteria, rising rates of community-acquired infections, and the urgent need for innovative therapies, including phage therapy, phenazine-based antimicrobials, and metal-based strategies. Enhanced global surveillance, equitable access to treatments, and collaborative efforts are critical to combating AMR effectively.
SN  - 2590-0536
SN  - 2096-6962
ER  -