Drug-resistant infections are outpacing treatments, and WHO says laboratory leaders are vital to protecting antibiotic effectiveness.
For laboratory leaders, the latest WHO report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) underscores just how critical diagnostic testing, data accuracy, and surveillance capacity have become in the global fight against drug-resistant infections. With one in six bacterial infections now resistant to antibiotics, labs stand on the front lines. They are responsible not only for detecting resistant strains but also for generating the data that informs national and international response strategies.
According to a press release, the “Global antibiotic resistance surveillance report 2025”warns that between 2018 and 2023, “antibiotic resistance rose in over 40% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations monitored,” with “an average annual increase of 5–15%.”
Data from over 100 countries reported to the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) show that growing resistance to essential antibiotics “poses a growing threat to global health.” For the first time, the report presents “resistance prevalence estimates across 22 antibiotics used to treat infections of the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts, the bloodstream and those used to treat gonorrhea.” It examines eight common bacterial pathogens—Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, non-typhoidal Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae—each linked to these major infections.
Resistance Highest in South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean
WHO found that the “risk of antibiotic resistance varies across the world.” The highest resistance levels are in the WHO South-East Asian and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, “where 1 in 3 reported infections were resistant.” In the African Region, “1 in 5 infections was resistant.”
According to the report, resistance “is also more common and worsening in places where health systems lack capacity to diagnose or treat bacterial pathogens.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, WHO director-general noted, “As countries strengthen their AMR surveillance systems, we must use antibiotics responsibly, and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics, and vaccines. Our future also depends on strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and on innovating with next-generation antibiotics and rapid point-of-care molecular tests.” (Photo credit: WHO)
Gram-Negative Bacteria Present the Greatest Threat
The WHO report highlights that drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are becoming increasingly dangerous worldwide, with the heaviest impact seen in countries least equipped to manage the threat. Among these pathogens, E. coli and K. pneumoniae remain the most common causes of drug-resistant bloodstream infections—serious conditions that can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and death.
Globally, resistance to third-generation cephalosporins—the standard treatment for these infections—has climbed above 40% for E. coli and 55% for K. pneumoniae, and in parts of Africa, it exceeds 70%. Other essential antibiotics, including carbapenems and fluoroquinolones, are also losing effectiveness against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella, and Acinetobacter. Once rare, carbapenem resistance is now emerging more frequently, reducing available treatment options and forcing reliance on last-resort antibiotics that are expensive, difficult to obtain, and often unavailable in low- and middle-income countries.
Progress in Surveillance but Major Gaps Remain
Despite these concerning trends, the report noted progress in global surveillance.
“Country participation in GLASS has increased over four-fold, from 25 countries in 2016 to 104 countries in 2023.” However, challenges persist: “48% of countries did not report data to GLASS in 2023,” and “about half of the reporting countries still lacked the systems to generate reliable data.” Many nations facing the highest burden of resistance “lacked the surveillance capacity to assess their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) situation.”
The report links its findings to the “political declaration on AMR adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in 2024,” which set global targets for combating antimicrobial resistance.
The declaration emphasizes strengthening health systems and working with a ‘One Health’ approach coordinating across human health, animal health, and environmental sectors.
WHO is calling on countries to strengthen laboratory systems and build reliable surveillance networks, particularly in underserved regions, to better guide treatment decisions and public health policies. The organization has set a goal for all nations to submit high-quality data on antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use to the GLASS platform by 2030. Achieving this target will require coordinated efforts to improve data quality, expand geographic coverage, and enhance information sharing. WHO also encourages countries to implement comprehensive strategies to address antimicrobial resistance across all levels of healthcare and to ensure that treatment guidelines and essential medicines lists reflect local resistance trends.
The report is accompanied by expanded digital content available in the WHO’s GLASS dashboard, offering global and regional summaries, country profiles based on unadjusted surveillance coverage and AMR data, and detailed information on antimicrobial use.
With resistance trends worsening across regions, laboratory leaders are pivotal to turning the tide on AMR. Expanding diagnostic capabilities, improving data quality, and sharing timely resistance information will be key to shaping effective treatment guidelines and national policies. By advancing surveillance and stewardship from within the lab, clinical professionals can help preserve the power of antibiotics for future generations.
This article was created with the assistance of Generative AI and has undergone editorial review before publishing.
Lawmakers are renewing efforts to tackle the national clinical lab staffing crisis with the reintroduction of the Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that would expand training grants and loan forgiveness programs to strengthen the medical laboratory workforce.
Efforts to address the nation’s clinical laboratory staffing crisis have regained momentum with the reintroduction of the Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2025. The bipartisan legislation, introduced by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) and Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02), seeks to bolster recruitment and retention across a profession facing severe shortages.
According to a September press release from Kiggans and Ross, the bill is designed to “address the nationwide shortage of clinical laboratory professionals” by expanding eligibility for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to include medical laboratory personnel and establishing new federal grants for accredited colleges and universities to train future lab workers.
“Across the country, clinical laboratories face vacancy rates as high as 25%,” the release stated. “These shortages strain healthcare delivery, lead to longer wait times for patients, and contribute to burnout among existing lab staff.” The lawmakers noted that laboratory professionals are essential to healthcare operations, as “doctors depend on the diagnostic work done by laboratory professionals for nearly 70% of their medical decisions.”
“As a nurse practitioner, I know that access to quality healthcare depends on having the right professionals in place at every level,” said Congresswoman Kiggans in the press release. “That’s why I’m proud to join Congresswoman Deborah Ross on the Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act. This important legislation will add medical laboratory professionals to the National Health Service Corps and provide grants to accredited institutions to train more laboratory scientists and technicians.
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02) said, “Our nation faces a severe shortage of clinical laboratory professionals—a problem that will only worsen as our population ages. Without enough trained experts, our clinical labs cannot keep pace with the growing demand and complexity of medical testing, which is essential for diagnosing and treating patients. Investing in our medical laboratory workforce strengthens our health system, supports patients, and ensures we are prepared to meet future challenges.” (Photo credit: https://kiggans.house.gov/)
Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024
The proposal is built upon the Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024, introduced the previous year before the November elections, as reported by G2 Intelligence. The updated version continues provisions that would amend the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e) to direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to identify areas suffering from shortages of qualified laboratory professionals and deploy NHSC members to those locations.
The act would also establish a Medical Laboratory Personnel Education Program, operated through grants and contracts awarded to accredited nonprofits, allied health schools, and hospitals. These funds would expand training capacity, support internships required for certification, and help recruit qualified faculty which have been longstanding barriers to increasing the pipeline of lab professionals.
In an interview with G2 Intelligence, Jim Flanigan, CAE, executive vice president of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), said the act offers two major advantages: “the establishment of a federal grant program that would allow educational programs to expand the number of students they can train at a given time” and the inclusion of laboratory professionals in the NHSC, which would make them eligible for student loan forgiveness. “Both efforts will help in attracting individuals to the lab career path,” he said.
Rodney Rohde, PhD, MS, SM(ASCP)CM, SVCM, MBCM, FACSC, chair and professor of clinical laboratory science at Texas State University, told G2 Intelligence that he “cannot overemphasize the impact that establishing a program for lab personnel loan repayment will have for building our pipeline in recruiting and retention of students interested in the medical laboratory major and career path.” He added, “Laboratory testing follows patients throughout their lives, from cradle to grave, and it drives about two-thirds of all medical decisions made by doctors and other healthcare professionals.”
Despite the strong backing from organizations such as ASCLS, the Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine, and the American Clinical Laboratory Association, the bill’s path forward remains uncertain amid fiscal restraint on Capitol Hill. “All programs that incur significant costs are going to face challenges in getting passed,” Flanigan noted.
Still, as G2 Intelligence reported, supporters see the act as a vital “investment in our public health and our invaluable laboratory workforce.”
Seventy-five healthcare systems will benefit from NETEC’s gift, applications open.
Infectious disease management is getting a significant lift, on October 15, 2025 the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) announced their $37.5m grant aimed at High-Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCID), a NETEC press release announced. Labs working with High-Consequence Pathogen and Pathology will find this increased area of focus relevant and may look to encourage their employers apply to become one of the 75 facilities that will receive the grant in the US.
The grant, funded by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is slated to provide or upgrade the chosen 75 healthcare facilities within the US with a Level 2 Special Pathogen Systems (NSPS) status, NETEC added.
Selected hospitals will “receive up to $500,000 each to improve critical infrastructure, conduct staff training, and obtain specialized equipment aligned with NSPS Level 2 requirements,” according to the American Hospital Association (AHA).
“Level 2 centered are the backbone of a resilient, skilled response to special pathogen threats,” Shelly Schwedhelm, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Executive Director of NSPS told NETEC. (Photo credit: UNMC)
“This initiative accelerates our mission to develop top tier care closer to communities nationwide while strengthening protective measures for our healthcare workers,” Shelly Schwedhelm, executive director of NSPS, told NETEC. The grant comes by way of the NSPS Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment and Network Development (STAND) Award.
Positive Focus & Raising the Bar
The union of emergency providers and public health partners is crucial for disease maintenance, and NETEC’s vision paired with the grant aims to “provide safe, high-quality care during HCID outbreaks,” the press release noted.
Facilities moving into Level 2 status set the tone for more specialized care. These facilities are “specialized treatment centers that care for patients throughout the duration of illness,” the NETEC noted. To help facilities achieve this status is significant, John Lowe, PhD, NETEC co-principal investigator at University of Nebraska Medical Center, told NETEC. “This grant provides indispensable support for facilities striving to meet NSPS standards—from infrastructure upgrades to advanced training—making readiness both realistic and sustainable,” he commented.
The Importance of HDICs
HDICs, defined by the NETEC as having “high death rates and intense illnesses with limited remedies available,” are important to tackle for reasons beyond the obvious, NETEC noted.
“HDICs pose a significant threat to domestic and global security…some can be used as bioterrorism agents,” the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) noted on their site. They added that many HDICs spread from animals to humans and are contagious.
Looking Ahead
“We have a vision of a future with fewer infections and less suffering caused by high-consequence pathogens and disabling illnesses of unexplained causes,” CDC stated.
How to Apply
Labs interested in applying for the grant must have their employer submit proposals by 12/2/2025. Eligible hospitals must be in the US and offer inpatient services, emergency departments and critical care ability, as well as have airborne infection isolation capability. Both federal facilities and those already at Level 1 are not eligible.
With Blackstone and TPG acquiring Hologic in an $18.3 billion deal, the IVD industry sees yet another high-value transaction, following the BD-Waters merger and Siemens’ reported divestiture talks.
For laboratory leaders, another major consolidation in diagnostics is underway, according to a press release. Hologic, Inc., a key player in women’s health diagnostics, imaging, and molecular testing, has agreed to be acquired by Blackstone and TPG in a deal valued at up to $18.3 billion, signaling continued investor confidence in the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) sector despite ongoing market volatility.
Industry professionals are taking notice of the broader implications. On LinkedIn, Bruce Carlson, an IVD market specialist with Kalorama Information, noted that Hologic’s sale, “including imaging and IVD assets,” comes at “a 4½x multiple,” calling it “a lot of lettuce, as they used to say.” Carlson added that with multiple large IVD transactions this year, “the question is whether people want out of the business, or want to cash in on values that are up. This multiple seems to argue the latter.”
Featured in the August 4 edition of The Dark Report, a similar move unfolded with Waters Corporation and BD, which recently announced a $17.5 billion merger combining BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions business with Waters. The deal will create a major player spanning life sciences and diagnostics, another sign of consolidation and growing investor interest across the IVD sector.
On September 19, Dark Daily reported that according to BloombergSiemens Healthineers is in early talks with Blackstone, KKR, and others about selling its diagnostics division, potentially valued at over €6 billion ($7 billion). If completed, the move would mark another major shake-up in the IVD sector, coming on the heels of the
Waters-BD Diagnostics merger, and could signal further consolidation and portfolio realignment among top diagnostic manufacturers.
The Agreement
Under the terms of the agreement, Hologic shareholders will receive $76 per share in cash, plus a non-tradable contingent value right (CVR) worth up to $3 per share, tied to revenue targets in the company’s Breast Health division in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
The deal represents a 46% premium over Hologic’s May 23, 2025 closing price, before reports of a potential sale surfaced.
Private equity firms Blackstone and TPG will lead the acquisition, with minority investments from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and GIC.
The transaction, pending shareholder and regulatory approval, is expected to close in the first half of 2026, after which Hologic will be taken private and delisted from Nasdaq.
Hologic Chairman, president, and CEO Stephen P. MacMillan said “With their resources, expertise and commitment to women’s health, Blackstone and TPG will help accelerate our growth and enhance our ability to deliver critical medical technologies to customers and their patients around the world.
Hologic Chairman, president, and CEO Stephen P. MacMillan also noted that, “This transaction delivers immediate and compelling value to Hologic stockholders, reflecting the dedication of our employees whose hard work has made this milestone possible.” (Photo credit: Hologic)
For laboratory executives, this move underscores the ongoing realignment of the diagnostics sector, where high valuations and strong post-pandemic revenues continue to draw private equity interest. The deal could influence valuations for mid-tier lab tech firms and diagnostic innovators as investors seek scalable platforms with stable revenue streams.
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Reducing wasteful pre-op testing doesn’t just save money, it streamlines lab operations and strengthens value-based care. Here’s how Michigan hospitals achieved lasting change.
For laboratory leaders, efforts to reduce unnecessary pre-operative testing strike at the intersection of clinical quality, efficiency, and resource management. A new University of Michigan–led study offers evidence that hospitals can safely scale back low-value pre-surgical tests without compromising patient outcomes. Laboratories play a crucial role in making that happen. By streamlining test utilization and aligning ordering practices with true clinical need, labs can help health systems cut costs, reduce workload, and focus resources on the diagnostics that truly guide surgical care.
“Our results show the importance of understanding what factors influence testing decisions at each hospital, and tailoring a multidimensional intervention to that environment,” said Lesly Dossett, MD, MPH, senior author of the paper and a surgeon and healthcare researcher at U-M Health.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, tracked outcomes at three Michigan hospitals, two community hospitals and one academically affiliated facility, participating in statewide collaborative quality initiatives. Before RITE-Size was implemented, 68% of healthy patients having gallbladder removals, hernia repairs, or breast lumpectomies received at least one unnecessary pre-op test. Six months later, that number had dropped to about 40%, with one hospital achieving a near-zero rate of wasteful testing.
Tailored Interventions Drive Measurable Change
The RITE-Size program was developed through the Michigan Program on Value Enhancement (MPrOVE), a joint initiative of Michigan Medicine and the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. It builds on earlier work by MPrOVE to identify and eliminate low-value testing in elective surgery settings.
Lead author Nicole Mott, MD, MSCR, a National Clinician Scholar at U-M and general surgery resident at the University of Colorado, said the effort’s success came from a “tailored, team-based approach.” Hospitals began by assessing which tests were routinely ordered for low-risk surgeries, then convened meetings with surgical and pre-op leaders to understand local habits and barriers.
The RITE-Size team provided targeted education, coaching, and easy-to-use support materials. Regular data reports helped teams track their progress and maintain engagement.
Tests targeted for reduction included electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, cardiac stress tests, chest X-rays, urinalysis, and common blood panels. These procedures don’t often influence surgical outcomes for otherwise healthy patients.
An invited commentary accompanying the paper highlighted a key factor in RITE-Size’s success: inclusion of pre-operative nurses. “Too often implementation and quality improvement studies fail to recognize both the value and power held by nurses as part of the health system,” said Clifford Sheckter, MD, MS, of Stanford University. “This study is a great example of how understanding and including this factor led to success of their pilot intervention.”
Expansion Signals a Shift Toward Smarter Utilization
According to Dossett, the findings underscore that waste reduction isn’t simply a matter of enforcing new rules but requires understanding each hospital’s culture and workflow.
Lesly Dossett, MD, MPH, senior author of the paper and a surgeon and healthcare researcher at U-M Health noted, “Tailoring interventions to the local environment and engaging all members of the care team—including nurses and front-line staff—is essential. (Photo credit: U-M Health)
The study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (Grant 5R01HS029306-02). The collaborative quality initiatives involved are supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
As hospitals nationwide continue to face pressure to deliver high-quality, efficient care, the Michigan team’s results provide a roadmap for reducing wasteful practices. “We’ve shown it’s possible to right-size testing—and to keep it that way,” Dossett said.
