Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Research Trends
Main Article Content
Introduction. Antibiotic resistance (AR) is a critical issue in global health, characterized by the increasing number of resistant pathogens that threaten the effectiveness of infection therapy. Although there has been a significant increase in the number of scientific publications related to AR, there are not many studies that systematically map the dynamics and direction of global research. This study aims to evaluate the global trend of antibiotic resistance research in the period 2022–2025 through a bibliometric approach. Methods. This is a quantitative bibliometric study with a descriptive design. Data were taken from 1,845 indexed international scientific sources, covering 18,786 documents. The analysis was carried out using the Bibliometrix R-package , focusing on publication growth, scientific collaboration, dominant keywords, and identification of the most contributing authors, institutions, and countries. Results. The study showed that despite a -28.01% decline in the annual publication growth rate, research volume remained high, with 27.62% cross-border collaboration and 87,959 authors involved. China and the United States dominated both in terms of publications and citations, while frequent keywords reflected a laboratory approach and focus on major pathogens. The most influential articles were published in leading journals such as The Lancet, Gut, and Clinical Infectious Diseases. Conclusion. This study confirms that antibiotic resistance remains a major focus of the global scientific community, characterized by extensive, collaborative, and evidence-based research activities. These findings provide an important scientific basis for designing more effective, adaptive, and sustainable AR research and policy strategies at the global level.
Keywords:
Antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance
Bibliometric
Worldwide
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2. Shafaati M, Salehi M, Zare M. The twin challenges of longevity and climate change in controlling antimicrobial resistance. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 2024;77(7):399-402. doi: 10.1038/s41429-024-00730-6.
3. Tahmasebi H, Arjmand N, Monemi M, Babaeizad A, Alibabaei F, Alibabaei N, Bahar A, Oksenych V, Eslami M. From Cure to Crisis: Understanding the Evolution of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Human Microbiota. Biomolecules. 2025;15(1):93. doi: 10.3390/biom15010093.
4. Machowska A, Stålsby Lundborg C. Drivers of Irrational Use of Antibiotics in Europe. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;16(1):27. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16010027.
5. Ahmad M, Khan AU. Global economic impact of antibiotic resistance: A review. J Glob Antimicrob Resist. 2019;19:313-316. doi: 10.1016/j.jgar.2019.05.024.
6. Bhandari RK, Pandey AK, Malhotra S, Kakkar AK, Singh S, Cohn J, Holmes A, Charani E, Shafiq N. Addressing Challenges in Antibiotic Access: Barriers, Implications and Strategies for Solution. Pharmaceut Med. 2024;38(6):387-397. doi: 10.1007/s40290-024-00538-7.
7. Wei W, Wang Z, Li C, Jiang Z, Zhang Z, Wang S. Antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori in Nanjing, China: a cross-section study from 2018 to 2023. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023;13:1294379. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1294379.
8. Kunnath AP, Suodha Suoodh M, Chellappan DK, Chellian J, Palaniveloo K. Bacterial Persister Cells and Development of Antibiotic Resistance in Chronic Infections: An Update. Br J Biomed Sci. 2024;81:12958. doi: 10.3389/bjbs.2024.12958.
9. Amukti DP, Irham LM, Surono S, El Khair R, Adikusuma W, Satria R, et al. Atherosclerosis research in the genomic era: global trends from 1983 to 2024. Bulgarian Cardiology. 2024;30(4):40–8.
10. Irham LM, Amukti DP, Adikusuma W, Singh D, Chong R, Basyuni M, et al. Applied of bioinformatics in drug discovery and drug development: Bioinformatic analysis 1996-2024. Zubaidah S, Saifuddin MF, de Carvalho GS, Sugahara T, Lestari SR, Ziarati P, et al., editors. BIO Web Conf. 2024;148:01003.
11. Çiçek Korkmaz A, Altuntaş S. A bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 publications in nursing by visual mapping method. J Nurs Manag. 2022;30(6):1892-1902. doi: 10.1111/jonm.13636.
12. Irham LM, Amukti DP, Adikusuma W, Singh D, Chong R, Pranata S, et al. Trends in drug repurposing for chronic hepatitis-B infection: bibliometric-based approach 1990-2024. In: BIO Web Conf. 2024;148:04003.
13. AlBloushi AF. Contribution of Saudi Arabia to regional and global publications on COVID-19-related research: A bibliometric and visualization analysis. J Infect Public Health. 2022;15(7):709-719. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.05.013.
14. Salazar-Concha C, Ficapal-Cusí P, Boada-Grau J, Camacho LJ. Analyzing the evolution of technostress: A science mapping approach. Heliyon. 2021;7(4):e06726. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06726.
15. Hadar A, David J, Shalit N, Roseman L, Gross R, Sessa B, Lev-Ran S. The Psychedelic Renaissance in Clinical Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Three Decades of Human Studies with Psychedelics. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2023;55(1):1-10. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2021.2022254.
16. Ong SS, Xu L, Ang CW, Deng X, Lu H, Xu T. Global research trajectories in gut microbiota and functional constipation: a bibliometric and visualization study. Front Microbiol. 2024;15:1513723. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1513723.
17. Kudabayeva K, Tleumagambetova B, Bazargaliyev Y, Kosmuratova R, Zhylkybekova A. Global Trends in LADA Type Diabetes Research: A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications from Web of Science and Scopus, 1994-2024. J Diabetes Res. 2024;2024:4960075. doi: 10.1155/2024/4960075.
18. Hung CC, Tu MY, Chien TW, Lin CY, Chow JC, Chou W. The model of descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analytics on 100 top-cited articles of nasopharyngeal carcinoma from 2013 to 2022: Bibliometric analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2023;102(6):e32824. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000032824.
19. He X, Huang Z, Yang Y, Yuan X, Wen S, Li Y, Hu G, Lai W, Long H. A Bibliometric Analysis of Clear Aligner Treatment (CAT) From 2003 to 2023. Cureus. 2024;16(6):e63348. doi: 10.7759/cureus.63348.
20. Wang W, Gao Y, Ji J, Huang Z, Xiong B, Xiang S. Trends and advances in Leptospira, a bibliometric analysis. Front Microbiol. 2025;15:1514738. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1514738.
21. Yang K, Lu J, Duan L, Tang H, Bao Z, Liu Y, Jiang X. Research hotspots and theme trends in post-traumatic growth: A co-word analysis based on keywords. Int J Nurs Sci. 2023;10(2):268-275. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2023.03.001.
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25. Sweileh WM, Al-Jabi SW, Sawalha AF, Zyoud SH. Bibliometric profile of the global scientific research on autism spectrum disorders. Springerplus. 2016 Sep 2;5(1):1480. doi: 10.1186/s40064-016-3165-6.
26. Dagli N, Haque M, Kumar S. Bibliometric Insights Into the Evolving Landscape of Antibiotic Resistance Research: Trends, Collaborations, and Key Foci (1965-2023). Cureus. 2024;16(2):e53508. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53508.
27. González-Nava JB, Manzanares-Leal GL, Zapi-Colín LÁ, Dávila-Ramos S, Sandoval-Trujillo H, Ramírez-Durán N. Antibacterial activity of Nocardia spp. and Streptomyces sp. on multidrug-resistant pathogens causing neonatal sepsis. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2024;66:e42. doi: 10.1590/S1678-9946202466042.
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29. AlRyalat SAS, Malkawi LW, Momani SM. Comparing Bibliometric Analysis Using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Databases. J Vis Exp. 2019;(152). doi: 10.3791/58494.
30. Nashwan AJ, Barakat M, Niaz F, Tariq S, Ahmed SK. Antimicrobial Resistance: Stewardship and One Health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Cureus. 2024;16(4):e58478. doi: 10.7759/cureus.58478.
31. Laitin SMD, Baditoiu LM, Laza R, Stefan IM, Besliu RS, Susa SR, Oancea C, Stoicescu ER, Manolescu D, Fira-Mladinescu C. Unveiling the Dynamics of Antimicrobial Resistance: A Year-Long Surveillance (2023) at the Largest Infectious Disease Profile Hospital in Western Romania. Antibiotics (Basel). 2024;13(12):1130. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13121130.
