What is it about?
Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health threat. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 studies selected from 1,865 records identified in Google Scholar (1,600), PubMed (13), and ScienceDirect (252), to assess resistance patterns among clinically important bacterial pathogens in Tanzania. We found high resistance to commonly used antibiotics, particularly penicillins such as amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and ampicillin, with resistance as high as Klebsiella pneumoniae (0.96 [0.83–0.99]), Acinetobacter baumannii (0.94 [0.67–0.99]), and Escherichia coli (0.90 [0.81–0.95]). Overall, resistance among ESKAPE-E pathogens was 0.11 [0.06–0.19], while meropenem resistance remained low in Escherichia coli (0.04 [0.01–0.10]) and Klebsiella spp. (0.07 [0.03–0.15]). These findings highlight widespread antimicrobial resistance in Tanzania and the urgent need to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance systems, and treatment guidelines to support effective and rational antibiotic use.
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Why is it important?
This study provides the first comprehensive pooled national estimates of AMR patterns in Tanzania, offering evidence to guide treatment guidelines, antimicrobial stewardship, and surveillance strengthening.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a valuable and insightful experience, as it brought together evidence from multiple studies to better understand antimicrobial resistance patterns in Tanzania. Working on this systematic review and meta-analysis strengthened my appreciation of the complexity and urgency of AMR as a public health challenge. It also provided an opportunity to synthesize dispersed evidence into clear national-level estimates that can support policy and clinical decision-making, particularly in guiding treatment guidelines and antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
Charles Kafaiya
National Institute For Medical Research, Tanzania
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Tanzania: A systematic review and meta-analysis, PLOS One, April 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0346433.
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