With the widespread use of antimicrobial agents, the issue of microbial drug resistance has become increasingly severe, emerging as a major global public health challenge. Worldwide, there are significant differences in the types of drug-resistant bacteria, their epidemiological trends, and their resistance mechanisms. This article aims to review the current global status of microbial drug resistance, with a focus on the epidemiological trends, resistance mechanisms, and corresponding clinical treatment strategies for common drug-resistant bacteria and fungi, in order to provide a theoretical basis for promoting the rational use of antimicrobial agents.

Enhancing the speed of microbial antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is an urgent requirement for effective patient treatment, rational use of antimicrobial agents, and mitigating the development of microbial resistance. Novel rapid AST methods primarily involve advancing the observation timepoint of microbial growth. By capturing changes in microbial quantity, morphology, and metabolism during the early incubation phase—when microbial growth is invisible to the naked eye—these techniques utilize various devices and technologies to determine the resistance relationship between microorganisms and antimicrobial agents. This article reviews the current advancements in rapid AST from four perspectives: (1)monitoring microbial growth phenomena, (2)fluorescence labeling to indicate cellular activity, (3)detecting cellular metabolic states and products, and (4)matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)-based rapid AST. The aim is to provide a reference for clinical microbial resistance management.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a major global public health challenge, with traditional prevention and control methods exhibiting significant limitations in detection efficiency, data processing, and clinical decision-making. Leveraging its robust capabilities in data analysis and pattern recognition, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been widely applied across multiple critical aspects of AMR containment. Current evidence demonstrates that AI technologies can significantly enhance the efficiency of resistancediagnosis, optimize personalized treatment strategies, and improve real-time monitoring of resistant pathogen transmission. Despite persistent challenges such as data heterogeneity, model interpretability, and ethical compliance in practical applications, AI holds immense promise in supporting precision infection management and addressing the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.This article systematically reviews the clinical applications of AI in AMR prevention and control, including resistance detection and prediction based on mass spectrometry and genomic data, the use of clinical decision support systems in anti-infective therapy, as well as the role of AI in epidemiological surveillance, pathogen tracking, early warning systems, and novel antimicrobial drug discovery aiming to provide reference for clinical practice.

Bloodstream infections(BSIs) are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The widespread emergence of antimicrobial resistance has significantly increased the complexity of treating BSIs, making the development of precise antimicrobial treatment strategies based on positive blood culture results a critical clinical challenge. Additionally, it is imperative to systematically correct traditional misconceptions to optimize treatment outcomes and alleviate the pressure of antimicrobial selection. This article provides an in-depth exposition across the following dimensions, including bloodstream infection diagnosis, infection source identification, antimicrobial treatment regimen formulation, etc., to optimize the diagnostic and therapeutic process for patients with positive blood culture results.

Enterobacterales are important pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired infections and can cause various severe infectious diseases. Since their first report, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales(ESBL-E) have become widely prevalent worldwide. These strains often exhibit multidrug resistance, significantly increasing the risk of treatment failure and patient mortality. In China, the prevention and control of ESBL-E face numerous challenges, including high prevalence rates, significant regional distribution disparities, uneven laboratory testing capabilities, and variations in antimicrobial stewardship and prescribing practices. To address these issues, Professors Zhuo Chao, Xu Yingchun and Yu Yunsong initiated the developmentof the Expert Consensus on Clinical Management Strategies for Infections Caused by Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacterales (2025), in collaboration with multidisciplinary experts. This consensus systematically reviews the global and domestic epidemiological characteristics of ESBL-E, clinical laboratory detection techniques, treatment principles and key therapeutic agents, as well as infection prevention and control measures. Furthermore, it elaborates on the microbiological features and stratified treatment strategies for different infection sources (including bloodstream infections, intracranial infections, respiratory and mediastinal infections, intra-abdominal infections, and urinary tract infections) and special populations (such as neutropenic patients with fever, emergency patients, and pediatric patients). The consensus aims to enhance the detection capacity of clinical laboratories for ESBL-E, standardize diagnosis and treatment strategies in healthcare settings, and provide scientific guidance to curb the spread of ESBL-E in China, thereby reducing associated morbidity and mortality.

The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) comprises a group of genetically related yet phenotypically diverse Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens. These organisms demonstrate significant pathogenicity in immunocompromised populations, particularly cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) patients, causing severe infections including pneumonia, bacteremia, and urinary tract infections. Notably, Bcc infection in CF patients may progress to acute respiratory failure or the life-threatening "cepacia syndrome". Of particular concern is the widespread nosocomial colonization by Bcc strains coupled with their sophisticated multidrug resistance mechanisms, which contribute substantially to clinical treatment failures. This review systematically examines the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations and resistance mechanisms of Bcc. The review aims to provide evidence-based references for improving accurate diagnosis and enhancing infection control measures against this challenging pathogen.

With the widespread use of antimicrobial agents, bacterial drug resistance has become an increasingly severe issue, posing significant challenges to global healthcare. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has emerged as a research focus in the field of bacterial resistance due to its broad sources, high safety profile, low toxicity, and antimicrobial mechanisms distinct from those of chemical drugs. Studies have shown that various TCM herbs, such as Scutellaria baicalensis, exert antibacterial effects through multiple pathways, including disrupting the integrity of bacterial cell walls and membranes, inhibiting nucleic acid and protein synthesis, and impairing energy production and metabolism. Additionally, certain TCM herbs, including Scutellaria baicalensis, Coptis chinensis, and Fritillaria thunbergii, can reverse antimicrobial resistance by eliminating resistant plasmids, inhibiting bacterial efflux pump function, and suppressing β-lactamase activity. TCM holds promising potential for antibacterial applications and synergistically reversing antimicrobial resistance, though systematic analyses remain limited. This review summarizes the mechanisms of antibacterial action of TCM and current research on its synergistic use with antimicrobial agents to reverse drug resistance, aiming to provide insights for developing novel TCM-based antimicrobials and addressing bacterial resistance.