Antibiotic-resistant infections remain a significant health threat in Germany, contributing to tens of thousands of deaths each year, according to a study by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the University of Washington, and other research institutions.

The analysis, published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy – Antimicrobial Resistance, found that about 45,700 people in Germany died in connection with antibiotic-resistant pathogens in 2019.

In some cases, resistance was not the immediate cause of death, but bloodstream, respiratory, and abdominal infections were particularly common fatal outcomes.

The study estimated that around 9,600 of those deaths could be attributed directly to resistance — meaning patients might have survived if the bacteria had not been resistant. Germany recorded a total of 939,500 deaths in 2019, according to official statistics.

The RKI, Germany’s top epidemiological institute, said antibiotic resistance was “one of the greatest global health challenges of our time,” driven by the widespread use and misuse of antibiotics.

Overuse, long treatment courses, or inappropriate prescriptions create selection pressure that allows resistant strains to spread.

The institute urged stronger prevention and more targeted control measures, stressing that the careful use of antibiotics is key to curbing resistance.

-dpa