Keyword: Antimicrobial resistance

ABSTRACT: Microbial biofilms represent a growing yet often overlooked public health concern, particularly in resource-limited settings where they exacerbate the burden of persistent infections and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Nigeria, fragile healthcare infrastructure, poor funding, and a continuous loss of skilled medical professionals compound the difficulty of managing biofilm-associated infections. These microbial communities, embedded in self-produced extracellular matrices, exhibit remarkable resistance to antimicrobials and host immune defenses, leading to chronic and recurrent infections that further strain an already overstretched health system. This review synthesizes evidence published between 2010 and 2025 to examine the burden, challenges, and opportunities surrounding biofilm control in Nigeria. Literature was systematically retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, complemented by reports from WHO and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control. Findings indicate that biofilms not only complicate clinical treatment outcomes but also persist in environmental reservoirs, particularly water systems, serving as hidden amplifiers of resistance and infection transmission. To address these challenges, the review explores low-cost and context-appropriate strategies such as harnessing Nigeria’s biodiversity for the discovery of plant-derived antibiofilm compounds, implementing decentralized engineering solutions for water treatment, and promoting community-based infection prevention initiatives. It further emphasizes the importance of local innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and policy support within a One Health framework that integrates human, animal, and environmental health. By spotlighting the Nigerian experience, this review calls for urgent investment and global attention to biofilm-related infections in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

ABSTRACT: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) continue to be one of the biggest problems for modern healthcare systems, and the problem is getting worse because antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is on the rise. Antibiotics that used to work are quickly losing their effectiveness, which is giving rise to highly adaptable bacteria in clinical settings and turning routine procedures into high-risk situations. This publication examines the intersection of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within the framework of smart surveillance—digital, data-driven systems engineered to identify, predict, and disrupt the spread of infections in real time. We examine the historical development of infection surveillance, analyze the epidemiological burden and resistance mechanisms contributing to a covert pandemic, and assess emerging technologies such as electronic health record integration, machine-learning analytics, genomic sequencing, and Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks. These new ideas give us new ways to prevent infections before they happen, but they also bring up difficult moral, legal, and social problems about privacy, fairness, and governance. We contend that intelligent surveillance should be integrated into comprehensive infection prevention frameworks and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives to establish resilient hospitals. By combining predictive analytics with basic IPC procedures, ethical monitoring, and giving workers more autonomy, healthcare organizations may turn passive surveillance into active defense. In the end, winning the war against HAIs will depend not just on cutting-edge technology, but also on how it is used with care, honesty, and openness.