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The number of antibiotic prescriptions in German physician practices fell by 11.5 percent to 27 million in 2025, falling below 2019 levels for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. This is good news in terms of antibiotic resistance, as the prudent prescribing of antibiotics is a key element in preventing resistance.
AiRisk, a research network, is investigating a previously overlooked route of transmission for pathogens: dust from livestock farming. The goal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of airborne transmission—which are currently poorly understood—and to develop effective prevention strategies based on these findings.
Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Photonic Technologies (Leibniz-IPHT) in Jena explain in the podcast “Mikroben im Visier” how Raman spectroscopy can detect resistant bacteria within a few hours. In the future, this method could help identify effective antibiotics more quickly and reduce the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.
With a new regulation, the Spanish Medicines Agency (AEMPS) is aligning the package sizes of antibiotics with current treatment guidelines. The aim is to prevent resistance caused by self-medication with leftover antibiotics from previous prescriptions.
As part of the research alliance Leibniz INFECTIONS, Dr. Megarsa Jaleta conducted research on antibiotic resistance in piglets. In May 2026, he successfully defended his dissertation at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin. The thesis examined how hygiene measures influence the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in pig farming and how the prevalence of resistance genes varies among piglets and chances as they age.