"Sectors must work together to combat antibiotic resistance"
“To protect the health and well-being of both people and animals, the public health, veterinary, and environmental sectors must work together to combat antibiotic resistance”, says Sandra Nohrborg, PhD student at the Department of Clinical Sciences.
Who are you? Could you give a short presentation of yourself and your research area?
“My name is Sandra Nohrborg, and I’m a veterinarian and PhD student at the Department of Clinical Sciences. On 21 November, I will defend my thesis on antibiotic resistance in Vietnamese poultry production. Antibiotic resistance develops more quickly when antibiotics are overused or used incorrectly ‒ something that, for various reasons, is common in livestock production in many low- and middle-income countries, including Vietnam. To address this challenge, it’s important not only to describe how widespread resistance is but also to understand what drives antibiotic use and resistance development on farms. Bringing these perspectives together has been the main goal of the research presented in my thesis.”
How does your research align with the One Health concept?
“Antibiotic resistance is a true One Health issue because bacteria are rarely limited to one animal species or location. This means that resistance that develops in livestock can spread to humans ‒ for example, through direct contact, the environment, or animal-source foods. To protect the health and well-being of both people and animals, the public health, veterinary, and environmental sectors must work together to combat antibiotic resistance.”
What are your plans after your PhD?
“I’m not entirely sure yet! I would love to stay in academia and continue exploring antibiotic resistance, perhaps by studying the role of the environment when antibiotic resistance spreads to and within small-scale farms. I also hope to expand my knowledge about resistance gene analysis as a tool for investigating how antibiotic resistance is transmitted between animal species, including humans.”
“Another area that interests me is working hands-on with strategies and interventions to improve farming practices in low- and middle-income countries, whether within academia or through a research institute or organization.”
Links:
Sandra Nohrborg's profile page
Sandra Nohrborg's defense of her dissertation on 21 November, 2025: Antimicrobial resistance in an emerging economy. The occurrence and drivers on Vietnamese small- and medium-scale chicken farms