The South African CAMO-Net Hub, in collaboration with the Cape Town Systematic Healthcare Action Research Project (C-SHARP) and local NGO Masincedane Community Service, has launched Phaphama Sibonisane – meaning “Wake up. Be alert. Let us learn together” – South Africa’s first community-led Indigenous antimicrobial resistance (AMR) awareness campaign. The launch took place on 4 September 2026 at the Christian Fellowship Centre in Nomzamo Township, Western Cape.

Newborn babies are particularly vulnerable to healthcare-associated infections, but tracing how bacteria spread through hospitals can be difficult where detailed electronic records are unavailable. Through a CAMO-Net collaboration between the Child Health Research Foundation and Imperial College London, researchers have developed PathoPath, an open-source tool that combines patient-movement records with bacterial genomic data to reconstruct potential transmission networks. In a new preprint, the team applied PathoPath retrospectively to 373 cases of…

CAMO-Net India researchers Dr Vrinda Nampoothiri and Dr Vidhi Shukla are contributing their expertise in ethnographic research to work supporting the implementation of India’s second National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. Policies designed to improve antibiotic use do not operate in a vacuum. In hospitals, everyday decisions are influenced by professional hierarchies, established routines, relationships, available resources and the expectations of patients and healthcare professionals.

More than 225 general practitioners from Karachi and Islamabad have taken part in CAMO-Net workshops designed to support responsible antibiotic prescribing in primary care. CAMO-Net Pakistan has delivered two antimicrobial stewardship workshops for community-based general practitioners (GPs), focusing on practical approaches to antibiotic prescribing in primary care. The workshops were held in Karachi on 28–29 August 2026 and Islamabad on 4–5 September 2026.

This guest blog comes from CAMO-Net Uganda’s Sandra Naluyima, who reflects on how specialist LC-MS training at Imperial College London has been translated into practical impact at the Infectious Diseases Institute in Uganda. She explains how a newly developed and validated method is now being used to analyse patient samples from the TAP trial. Following my CAMO-Net placement at Imperial College London, I returned home with a clear goal: to translate the skills and knowledge I had gained into practical impact within our laboratory.

A new CAMO-Net publication has captured the impact of a major training and capacity strengthening programme that supported researchers across 13 institutions in 11 countries. Published in Wellcome Open Research, the article describes how CAMO-Net’s Training and Capacity Strengthening Programme was developed and implemented between April 2024 and March 2026. Led by the Central Training Hub at the Infectious Diseases Institute…

Liverpool researchers uncover how the body’s own chemistry can determine whether antibiotics succeed or fail New research, published in Nature Communications, provides new insights into how antibiotic resistance develops and could help doctors make better decisions about when and where certain antibiotics should be used, offering fresh insights into the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Researchers from CAMO-Net UK have been investigating the antibiotic combination amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, often known by the brand name Augmentin.

Researchers at CAMO-Net India, based at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, have established a new liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) facility, marking an important step in strengthening local capacity for bioanalytical research and therapeutic drug monitoring. The laboratory focuses on dose optimisation and pharmacokinetic studies of antimicrobial medicines and has already standardised and validated analytical methods for a range of drugs, including antifungals, first-line tuberculosis treatments and antibiotics.

Researchers from the CAMO-Net India Hub are working with local communities to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the importance of using antibiotics responsibly. Led by Prof Nusrat Shafiq and her team, the activities were carried out in collaboration with the Department of Community Medicine and the School of Public Health at PGIMER, Chandigarh. Community outreach sessions were held at Anganwadi centres, which provide health and nutrition support to women and children across India.

More than 300 healthcare professionals, researchers and practitioners gathered in person and online for the II Primary Care Symposium: Preventing Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, held on 22 May 2026. Organised by the Infection Control Group of the Clinics Hospital of the University of São Paulo with support from CAMO-Net Brazil, the hybrid event focused on strengthening infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship in Primary Health Care.

This guest blog comes from Dr Kusum Rani, Post-doctoral researcher from CAMO-Net India, who travelled to London, UK on a CAMO-Net travel grant to work on molecular diagnostics at CAMO-Net UK's Imperial College London site. Between February 20 and March 25, 2026, I had the opportunity to undertake an off-site placement at the Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, UK, under the CAMO-Net Off-Site Placement Programme.

This guest blog comes from Dr Sathyanarayana Reddy Bygari, CAMO-Net India's Clinical Pharmacist from Amrita, who travelled to Kampala to learn from his colleagues in the lab at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University. When I look back at this training, it feels less like a formal programme and more like a journey where I slowly started connecting different pieces of my work together.

In February 2026, CAMO-Net attended the AMR 2026 Summit in Sydney, Australia, bringing together more than 290 participants from 37 countries across government, research, policy, and practice. The three-day meeting focused on how global commitments on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can translate into delivery, with discussions spanning data, financing, stewardship, and implementation. With contributions from CAMO-Net colleagues based in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, and Timor-Leste, our presence reflected the network’s role in connecting research with real-world implementation across different health system contexts, and its ongoing involvement in shaping global AMR discussions.

This year Munich, Germany, welcomed ESCMID 2026. The conference brought together the international infectious diseases and clinical microbiology community, providing a platform to share new research, exchange ideas and strengthen collaborations across disciplines. As one of the largest meetings in the field, the congress continues to play an important role in shaping responses to emerging infections and antimicrobial resistance.

This guest blog comes from Chris Deputy, CAMO-Net Communications Manager, who travelled to Kampala to exchange comms and public engagement knowledge with the team there. Earlier this year, I travelled from Liverpool to Kampala to work with our friends at the Infectious Disease Institute (IDI), Makerere University, or as we know it, CAMO-Net Uganda, on everything CAMO-Net communications. This was funded by a CAMO-Net off-site placement grant, which was originally intended for travel to CAMO-Net South Africa (and I still will go there - their work with Eh!Woza is genuinely inspiring to me and I can’t wait to go back to Cape Town and learn from Tasha and her team).

CAMO-Net colleagues gathered in Timor-Leste recently, bringing together researchers and leaders to share progress, deepen collaboration, and strengthen locally led work addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The visit brought CAMO-Net lead Professor Alison Holmes, Head of Operations Kerri Hill-Cawthorne, and Brazil hub co-lead Professor Anna Levin together with the Timor-Leste team, led by Professor Nelson Martins. The meetings connected colleagues across hubs to learn from each other’s work and shape the future of the network collectively.

A reflection on travel as a form of education In this guest blog, Andiswa Kona from CAMO-Net South Africa, reflects on her recent trip as part of our travel grant scheme. For Early Career Researchers, travel is an essential form of education. I was very appreciative to receive a CAMO-Net Capacity Strengthening Travel Grant. The travel grant enabled me to attend the 10th Regional Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Conference hosted by ReAct Africa and South Centre.

By Dr. Nazareno Scaccia Between June 23 and July 11, 2025, I had the opportunity to join the Department of Infectious Disease at the Imperial College London as part of the CAMO-Net Off-Site Placement Programme. Hosted at the laboratories of Prof. Dr. Jesus Rodriguez Manzano, this experience aimed to explore the potential of biosensor technologies for antibiotic detection and to strengthen collaboration between Brazilian and UK research groups working in antimicrobial optimisation.

In June 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the CAMO-Net UK Meeting in London from 2–6 June, with support from the CAMO-Net Travel Grant. The meeting brought together CAMO-Net members from different countries and institutions, creating a valuable space for learning, sharing experiences, and building new connections across the network. The main purpose of my participation was to connect with colleagues, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities for future research collaboration.

Guest blog by: Tosin Senbadejo As part of my training as a PhD Fellow at the West African Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, I was privileged to participate in an off-site placement at the IDI Research Lab, Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda. This placement was made possible through a CAMONET Uganda Offsite placement grant, awarded to me in October 2024.

Guest blog by Patricia Nabisubi, CAMO-Net Uganda Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is often discussed in terms of policies, surveillance frameworks, and global strategies. Yet, in practice, the effectiveness of these efforts depends heavily on the people working behind the data, their skills, confidence, and ability to translate evidence into action. My recent hands-on AMR training in Ghana marked a defining moment in my work, fundamentally changing how I approach AMR research, analysis, and collaboration.

Guest blog by Zelia Maria Marques Freitas, Research Nurse - CAMO-Net Timor Lesté I am thrilled to share my experience attending the International AMR Nextt 2025 Conference held from November 29–30, 2025, followed by Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network (CAMO-Net) meeting at Amrita Hospital in Faridabad India, from December 1–5, 2025. This journey was made possible through the incredible support of the CAMO-Net Travel Grant, a truly transformative opportunity for my professional career as a Research Nurse specializing in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Guest blog by: Allan Kengo With the CAMO-Net travel award, I had the opportunity of presenting the results of our work at the PAGE2025 Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece. Set along the Aegean Sea, Thessaloniki offered a breathtaking backdrop for the 2025 edition of a conference that brought together scientists and practitioners from across the global pharmacometrics and modeling community. My participation in PAGE2025 included presenting a poster titled “Pharmacogenetics-guided-isoniazid-dosing-in-individuals-with-tuberculosis-and-HIV.” Our work focused on the application of pharmacogenetic information to optimize isoniazid dosing in individuals with co-existing tuberculosis and HIV, highlighting the role of model-informed precision dosing in improving treatment outcomes in complex clinical populations.

Tosin Senbadejo, a PhD student at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, was awarded a CAMO-Net Travel Grant to attend ASM Microbe 2025, the annual conference of the American Society for Microbiology. The conference brought together leading microbiologists and infectious disease researchers from around the world to discuss recent advances in microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Martha Akle Asare is my name, a postgraduate student finalizing my Masters of Philosophy in Molecular cell biology of infectious diseases at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, a centre of CAMO-Net, located at the Department of Biochemistry Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, Legon. As part of my training as an early career scientist, I was privileged to participate and present a scientific poster at the just ended British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Spring conference on the 15th and 16th of May, 2025 in Birmingham, UK.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a silent pandemic, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A recent study at the Infectious Diseases Institute clinic, led by Dr Barbara Castelnuovo and Dr Noela C. Owarwo, and coordinated by Dr Brian Otaalo, revealed staggering findings: 88% of prescriptions made were deemed inappropriate. In response to the urgent threat of antimicrobial resistance and the troubling rates of inappropriate antibiotic use, a behavioural intervention is being implemented at the Infectious Diseases Institute, Prevention, Care, and Treatment Clinic.

From 27th to 31st October 2025, we, CAMO-Net fellows from across nine countries, had the privilege of participating in a five-day antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) workshop held in Cape Town, South Africa. Sponsored by CAMO-Net Capacity Strengthening arm, the workshop brought together a diverse group of CAMO-Net associated from across 11 countries, committed to strengthening AMS practices within our health systems. Fellows in attendance included Fiona Mutesi Magololo and Oliver Angom from Uganda, Esha Sheth from the UK, Sagar M.

On 4th December 2025, at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, CAMO-Net fellows participated in a dissemination meeting that marked a major milestone in the CAMO-Net Training and Capacity Strengthening Programme. The meeting brought together fellows, mentors, investigators, representatives from Wellcome Trust and from all sites and hubs, to reflect on progress made over the course of the fellowship and to share emerging results from projects addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) across diverse global settings.

The Antimicrobial Guide for Primary Health Care in Ceará has been officially launched, marking an important step in scaling up evidence-informed antimicrobial stewardship approaches in Brazil. The adoption builds on the successful implementation of a CAMO-Net-developed antimicrobial guide in São Caetano do Sul, where it formed a core part of a wider intervention to optimise antibiotic use in primary care.

CAMO-Net’s fifth in-person gathering took place in December in India, bringing colleagues together from around the world to build on existing collaborations and to learn more about the breadth of antimicrobial optimisation work taking place across the country. Hosted across sites in Kochi and Chandigarh, the meetings created space for shared reflection, deeper connection and collective thinking around antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

A new study from CAMO-Net UK, published in The Lancet Digital Health, provides rare, real-world insight into how clinicians interact with artificial intelligence (AI) when making complex antimicrobial prescribing decisions - particularly under conditions of uncertainty. The research evaluates an AI-driven clinical decision support system (CDSS) designed to assist clinicians in deciding when patients receiving intravenous antibiotics could safely switch to oral treatment.

Guest blog by Babirye Zubaina,Research Nurse, CAMO-Net Travel Grant Awardee, Infectious diseases InstituteUganda Hub From the 13th to 17th July 2025, I had the privilege of attending the 13thInternational AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science held in Kigali,Rwanda, with support from the CAMO-Net Travel Grant. The conferencebrought together several thousand participants from across the globe,

CAMO-Net Uganda has published the country’s first national cost-of-illness study to estimate the societal economic burden of antibiotic resistance (ABR), revealing a substantial toll on patients, families, and the wider economy. Published in Springer Nature, the study also highlights the disproportionate impact ABR has on women. Drawing on detailed costing and clinical outcomes data from nine regional referral hospitals, the study estimates that ABR cost Uganda US$1.43 million in 2024, equivalent to 0.003% of the country’s GDP.

This week, The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) CAMO-Net-Ugandaproject was recognised by the Ugandan Ministry of Health, and won anaccolade for their unwavering support and contribution towards the NationalOne Health Platform. The award came as part of the 9th UgandanAntimicrobial Resistance Conference. The function was attended delegates from across the country includingclinicians, policy makers, youth and adolescent AMR champion forum groups…

The CAMO-Net Fellowship Programme will soon be launched, offering 11fellowship positions across our 13 sites. This nine-month fellowship aims todevelop the next generation of researchers with the knowledge and skillsneeded to optimise antimicrobial use in humans, contributing to theobjectives of CAMO-Net and supporting the sustainability of antimicrobialoptimisation solutions. The fellowship programme is designed to promote scientific leadership in…

October 2024 CAMO‑Net is launching a Fellowship Programme to strengthen capacity in antimicrobial optimisation for human use. The programme will be open to applicants from diverse health disciplines and will focus on core CAMO‑Net themes: technology and innovation, medicines management, and the influence of context, culture, and behaviours. In preparation for the Fellowship rollout, the CAMO‑Net Uganda Hub convened a planning workshop to develop the course curriculum.

By Letícia Britto Costa, CAMO-Net Brazil In December 2024, I had the privilege of receiving a travel grant from the CAMO-Net project to participate in two major events in Cape Town, South Africa: the 20th International Congress of Infectious Diseases (ICID) and the CAMO-Net meeting. These ten days were an incredible journey of learning, collaboration, and cultural exchange. Here are some of the highlights.

By Agata do Espirito Santo Soares, CAMO-Net Timor-Leste In December 2024, infectious disease experts from around the world gathered in South Africa for the International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ISID) and the CAMO-Net Meeting. These events brought together over 2,500 participants to address one of the most pressing global health challenges: antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Why These Meetings MatterAMR is a growing threat, fueled by factors such as climate change, poverty, and limited access to medicines.

By Elizabeth Nakazibwe, CAMO-Net Uganda Earlier this year, I had the privilege of participating in a month-long offsite placement through CAMO-Net, a key capacity-building initiative. Hosted by the University of Liverpool and Imperial College London, this opportunity was nothing short of incredible! My placement focused on enhancing my skills in project management, and I was fortunate to learn from the best.

By Esha Sheth, CAMO-Net UK As a research assistant at the University of Liverpool, my role primarily involves assisting with protocol development, obtaining ethics approvals for non-CTIMP (Clinical Trial of Investigational Medicinal Product) research studies and public engagement. With a Master’s in Medical Microbiology under my belt and plans to pursue a PhD, attending the International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) in Cape Town was an invaluable experience.

Guest article by Professor Nusrat Shafiq, CAMO-Net India Co-Lead As we mark World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 - guided by the global theme “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future” - we reflect on the growing momentum behind efforts to address antimicrobial resistance across national, regional, and local levels in India. Since India’s National Action Plan on AMR (

This World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), we’re celebrating the CAMO-Net Fellows - a talented group of early-career researchers funded by CAMO-Net to complete a fellowship and contribute towards the global efforts to make antimicrobial use smarter, safer and more effective. The Fellows are contributing to an extraordinary range of projects, including rapid diagnostics, genomics, pharmacokinetics, behaviour change, stewardship systems and laboratory capacity strengthening.

As part of our WAAW 2025 events, CAMO-Net brought together participants from across its global network – along with members of the public – for a community dialogue event. The session was designed to create space for open discussion on antimicrobial use and resistance, and to highlight the shared responsibility involved in addressing these issues. With colleagues joining from South Africa, Brazil, Uganda, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the UK, the event reflected the network’s focus on collaboration across different contexts and health systems.

Guest article by Dr Andrew Kambugu, CAMO-Net Uganda Lead Over the past five years, Uganda has made significant progress in responding to the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The country’s first National Action Plan on AMR (NAP-AMR I, 2018-2023) provided a solid foundation for coordination across human, animal, and environmental sectors. It marked Uganda’s formal commitment to the One Health approach, recognising that resistant pathogens move freely between people, animals, and the environment.

CAMO-Net Pakistan recently hosted a symposium to highlight their work in addressing antimicrobial resistance AMR ahead of this year’s World AMR Awareness Week at Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. The symposium brought together healthcare practitioners, microbiologists, and infectious disease experts to share experiences and explore strategies to address the growing global threat of AMR. Titled “Preserving Antimicrobials: Educate, Advocate, Act Against AMR”, the event gave particular attention to the challenges faced in low-resource settings.

A new Nature Communications paper from the Centres for Antimicrobial Optimisation Network (CAMO-Net) calls for global collaboration to connect fragmented antimicrobial data and accelerate progress against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The publication, titled “There is urgent need for a Global Data Resource for Antimicrobial PK/PD: CAMO-Net GDR Initiative”, sets out an ambitious plan to create a Global Data Resource (GDR) - a secure, standardised platform for antimicrobial pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data.

On 17 October 2025, the CAMO-Net Uganda Hub participated in the 6th Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Science Fair, held at the School of Public Health, Mulago National Referral Hospital. Organised by IDI in partnership with Makerere University’s School of Public Health, the event brought together researchers, students, and policymakers to share insights and strengthen collaboration in public health and infectious disease research.

By Sandra Naluyima, CAMO-Net Uganda As part of my offsite CAMONET placement, I had the incredible opportunity to train at two prestigious UK institutions Imperial College London and the University of Liverpool. This placement not only strengthened my technical expertise but also gave me a memorable and transformative personal and professional experience abroad. Training at Imperial College London: LC-MS Method Development…

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to pose an urgent global health challenge, making cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange more important than ever. With support from CAMO-Net and the Wellcome Trust, I had the opportunity to attend both the CAMO-Net cross-site meeting and the International Conference on Infectious Diseases (ICID2024) in South Africa, an experience made possible through the CAMO-Net travel grant. These gatherings brought together professionals from around the world who are committed to strengthening antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) through culturally informed, evidence-based strategies.