Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
Encyclopedia
The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 by Dr. Stuart B. Levy, Professor of Medicine at Tufts University
and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
APUA’s mission is to strengthen society’s defenses against infectious disease
by promoting appropriate access and use to antimicrobial agents (antibiotic
s, antivirals
, antimalaria
ls etc.) and controlling antimicrobial resistance
on a worldwide basis. APUA has a network of affiliated chapters in over 50 countries, and conducts applied antimicrobial resistance research, education, capacity building and advocacy at the global and grassroots levels.
Wide-scale misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials and related resistance to these drugs is challenging infectious disease treatment and health care budgets worldwide. Antimicrobials are uniquely societal drugs because each individual patient use can propagate resistant organisms. APUA’s provides information to individuals, doctors and policy makers aimed at preserving the power of these agents by preventing infection, reducing drug resistance and increasing the effectiveness of treatment for infectious diseases, including acute bacteria
l diseases, tuberculosis
, AIDS
and malaria
.
commitment to preserve the power of antibiotics. Past recipients include:
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
APUA’s mission is to strengthen society’s defenses against infectious disease
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
by promoting appropriate access and use to antimicrobial agents (antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
s, antivirals
Antiviral drug
Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. Like antibiotics for bacteria, specific antivirals are used for specific viruses...
, antimalaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
ls etc.) and controlling antimicrobial resistance
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a type of drug resistance where a microorganism is able to survive exposure to an antibiotic. While a spontaneous or induced genetic mutation in bacteria may confer resistance to antimicrobial drugs, genes that confer resistance can be transferred between bacteria in a...
on a worldwide basis. APUA has a network of affiliated chapters in over 50 countries, and conducts applied antimicrobial resistance research, education, capacity building and advocacy at the global and grassroots levels.
Wide-scale misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials and related resistance to these drugs is challenging infectious disease treatment and health care budgets worldwide. Antimicrobials are uniquely societal drugs because each individual patient use can propagate resistant organisms. APUA’s provides information to individuals, doctors and policy makers aimed at preserving the power of these agents by preventing infection, reducing drug resistance and increasing the effectiveness of treatment for infectious diseases, including acute bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
l diseases, tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
APUA Leadership Award
Each year, APUA presents its Leadership Award in recognition of outstanding global contributions andcommitment to preserve the power of antibiotics. Past recipients include:
- 2010 Otto Cars, M.D., chairman of ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance, based in Uppsala, Swedenhttp://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/news/press_release_9-14-10.shtml
- 2009 Infectious Diseases Society of AmericaInfectious Diseases Society of AmericaThe Infectious Diseases Society of America is a medical association representing physicians, scientists and other health care professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. As of 2010, IDSA had approximately 9,000 members...
http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/2009_leadership_award_recipients.pdf
- 2008 Working Party on Antibiotic Policy (SWAB) and Dutch Working Party on Infection Prevention (WIP) http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/2008_leadership_award_recipients.pdf
- 2007 International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, BangladeshInternational Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, BangladeshThe International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh is an international health research organization located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dedicated to saving lives through research and treatment, ICDDR,B addresses some of the most critical health concerns facing the world today, ranging...
(ICDDR,B), http://www.icddrb.org/activity/index.jsp?activityObjectID=3463
- 2006 Herman Goossens and Anna Lönnroth, European CommissionEuropean CommissionThe European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
https://www.grace-lrti.org/NR/rdonlyres/009F5B34-4B49-443E-B72E-1F847A2B9EFD/194/GRACENewsletterOctober2006.pdf
- 2005 Dr. Richard Besser - the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCenters for Disease Control and PreventionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/News/ICAAC.html
- 2004 Dr. Gabriel Schmunis - the Pan American Health OrganizationPan American Health OrganizationThe Pan American Health Organization is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas...
- 2003
- Robert L. Langer - McDonald's Corporation
- Drs. Frank M. Aarestrup and Henrik C. Wegener - Danish Veterinary Institute http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/News/finalawards3FE2.pdf
- 2002
- Dr. Murray Lumpkin - U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Dr. David Bell - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Dr. Marissa Miller - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesThe National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health , an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
- 2001 Dr. Rosamund Williams - World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...