Pathogens and AMR white paper

Whether airborne or present in food and water supplies, pathogens have the potential to affect agriculture and human health profoundly. Livestock infectious diseases can have an influence on animal welfare and global food production. Crop pathogens are also a serious problem, especially in agriculture-based economies. Rice infection with Magnaporthe oryzae can have devastating effects on yearly yields. Furthermore, as recent Ebola and Zika outbreaks have reminded us, pathogens pose a significant threat to public health, and a challenge for modern medicine. Widespread and increasing drug resistance of infectious organisms compounds this threat.