Publication

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi or other microbes change in ways that stop medicines, like antibiotics, from working properly. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of them spreading, lasting longer, or becoming more serious.

The Scottish One Health AMR Register (SOHAR) brings together AMR-related research involving Scottish researchers and organisations. It shows how Scotland is contributing to national efforts and helps identify where more work is needed.

The 2025 SOHAR update reviewed 952 research publications and projects that were published or active between July 2021 and May 2025. It found evidence of progress in areas such as innovation, antimicrobial stewardship, and environmental AMR. Scotland also continues to contribute to AMR surveillance across sectors and plays an active role in UK-wide transdisciplinary AMR networks. However, several areas remain underrepresented, including animal health, food systems, behaviour change, public awareness, health inequalities, and translating research innovation into practice.

To build on Scotland’s progress, five key actions are recommended: i) maintain regular updates to SOHAR; ii) improve SOHAR’s accessibility and utility; iii) use SOHAR to monitor Scotland’s progress on AMR research goals; iv) invest in underrepresented research areas; and v) support transdisciplinary research to strengthen links between knowledge, policy, practice, and innovation.