Nature: Progress on antibiotic resistance
Editorial Board

“…Speeding up [the process of ensuring a patient who is ill receives effective treatment] will require major advances in what microbiologists call antimicrobial susceptibility testing. … Advances in genomics mean that rapid DNA sequencing can identify bacteria within hours. It can also quickly and accurately detect antibiotic resistance and susceptibility for tuberculosis. Developed further, this and other technologies could deliver results within an hour of a sample being taken from a patient. That would be a game-changer — but it has not yet happened. Why? Talk to the people involved — physicians, researchers, testing labs, regulators, and commercial firms among them — and all will offer their own reasons. One result of such discussion is published this week — a consensus statement that seeks to find common ground on defining the obstacles and recommending ways to overcome them. … Policymakers repeatedly say that action is needed on antibiotic resistance. The community has responded with a way forward” (10/17).