Table 1.

WHO priority pathogens list for research and development (R&D) of new antibiotics [5].

Priority 1: Urgency “Critical” #

Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, carbapenem-resistant §

Enterobacteriaceae *, carbapenem-resistant, 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant

Priority 2: Urgency “High”

Enterococcus faecium, vancomycin-resistant

Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant, vancomycin intermediate and resistant

Helicobacter pylori, clarithromycin-resistant

Campylobacter spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant

Salmonella spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant, fluoroquinolone-resistant

Priority 3: Urgency “Medium”

Streptococcus pneumoniae, penicillin-non-susceptible

Haemophilus influenzae, ampicillin-resistant

Shigella spp., fluoroquinolone-resistant

#: Mycobacteria (including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of human tuberculosis), was not subjected to review for inclusion in this prioritization exercise as it is already a globally established priority for which innovative new treatments are urgently needed. ^§: Pseudomonas aeruginosa carbapenem-resistant = resistant to all β-lactams (strains only resistant to imipenem by porin D2 modification and/or only resistant to meropenem by efflux, are not concerned). *: Enterobacteriaceae include: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter spp., Serratia spp., Proteus spp., and Providencia spp., Morganella spp.