Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41611691›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Geographic spillover of antimicrobial resistance from mass distribution of azithromycin.

Ariktha Srivathsan, Ahmed M Arzika, Ramatou Maliki, Amza Abdou, Marc Lipsitch, Seth Blumberg, Kieran S O'Brien, Travis C Porco, Armin Hinterwirth, Thuy Doan and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Reporting macrolide-resistantJournal of clinical microbiology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Ariktha SrivathsanFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3477-1757
Ahmed M ArzikaCentre de Recherche et Interventions en Santé Publique, Birni N'Gaoure, Niger.
Ramatou MalikiCentre de Recherche et Interventions en Santé Publique, Birni N'Gaoure, Niger.
Amza AbdouProgramme National de Santé Oculaire, Niamey, Niger.
Marc LipsitchCenter for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1504-9213
Seth BlumbergFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5495-4238
Kieran S O'BrienFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.
Travis C PorcoFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.
Armin HinterwirthFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6450-488X
Thuy DoanFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2733-8370
Jeremy D KeenanFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7118-1457
Thomas M LietmanFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8216-0240
Benjamin F ArnoldFrancis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, USA. ben.arnold@ucsf.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-6105-7295

Funding

Serologic measures of enteric pathogen transmission for intervention studies and population monitoring in low-resource settingsR01AI166671 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Benjamin F Arnold · 2022 to 2026
$2.7M
Résistance Evaluée contre la Vie des Enfants au Niger-Implementation et Recherche (REVENIR). Community antimicrobial resistance after azithromycin distribution: selection, spillover, co-selectionR01AI175250 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI THOMAS M LIETMAN, Kieran O'Brien · 2024 to 2026
$2.3M
Seroepidemiology of trachoma for the elimination endgameR01AI158884 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI ARNOLD, BENJAMIN F · 2021 to 2025
$2.0M
Modeling the dynamics of disease eliminationR35GM147702 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Seth Blumberg · 2022 to 2026
$2.0M
Gates FoundationNCEZID CDC HHS U01 CK000590NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI158884NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI166671NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI175250NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM147702
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Large-scale, placebo-controlled, cluster-randomized trials in high-mortality settings in sub-Saharan Africa demonstrated a 14-18% reduction in childhood mortality following twice-annual mass drug administration (MDA) of azithromycin among children aged 1-59 months. Azithromycin MDA also selected for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly macrolide resistance. It is unknown whether the AMR from azithromycin MDA could spill over to neighboring untreated populations. If present, such geographic spillover effects could lead trials to underestimate AMR risks. We assess between-village geographic spillover effects of genotypic macrolide resistance using metagenomic deep sequencing in rectal swabs collected from 300 children in 30 monitoring villages in Niger after two years of MDA in 594 surrounding villages. Conditional permutation tests assess associations between proximal azithromycin treatment intensity and resistance gene abundance. We find no evidence of geographic spillover of macrolide resistance in untreated villages, as the genetic load of AMR remains at baseline levels in placebo-treated villages regardless of surrounding azithromycin treatment intensity (Spearman ρ = -0.05, P = 0.83). Sensitivity analyses confirm robustness across metrics, and no spillover effects are detected for other antibiotic classes. Azithromycin MDA-induced macrolide resistance appears localized to treated villages, mitigating some concerns about geographic spillover of AMR to nearby untreated villages at 24 months.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinDrug Resistance, BacterialMass Drug AdministrationChild, PreschoolGenotypeGeographyHumansInfantMacrolidesNigerAnti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinMacrolides

Identifiers

PMID41611691
PMCPMC12957345

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.