The escalating threat of multidrug-resistant organisms: COVID-19 impact, global burden, and the Taiwanese experience

COVID-19 has both exposed and intensified vulnerabilities in AMR control. While the pandemic fostered certain infection control practices, it also disrupted antimicrobial oversight, leading to surges in MDROs prevalence. Taiwan's experience underscores the value of coordinated guidelines, real-time diagnostics, and artificial intelligence-driven stewardship. Rebuilding and future-proofing AMR responses requires integrated global policies, sustained surveillance, and innovation in diagnostics and therapeutics. Unless comprehensive action is taken, MDROs may emerge as the defining post-pandemic threat to modern medicine.