# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Papers, Class of 2026

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## What topics and trends defined most-cited Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria research in the Class of 2026?

In 2024, research on antibiotic resistance was dominated by horizontal gene transfer, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and mobile genetic elements. A significant shift occurred towards studying Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and implementing antimicrobial stewardship, while focus on broad resistance mortality burdens saw a relative decline. New methodologies like metagenomic sequencing also emerged strongly.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 9,706 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Horizontal gene transfer, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Mobile genetic elements |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 56–2,321 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved July 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050 | GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators | GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators | Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), United States | The Lancet | 2,321 | 10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01867-1 |
| 2 | Global trends in antibiotic consumption during 2016–2023 and future projections through 2030 | Eili Y Klein, Isabella Impalli, Suprena Poleon, Philippe Denoel, Mariateresa Cipriano, Thomas P Van Boeckel, Simone Pecetta, David E Bloom, Arindam Nandi | Arindam Nandi | One Health Trust, United States | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | 303 | 10.1073/pnas.2411919121 |
| 3 | A novel antibiotic class targeting the lipopolysaccharide transporter | Claudia Zampaloni, Patrizio Mattei, Konrad Bleicher, Lotte Winther, Claudia Thäte, Christian Bucher, Jean-Michel Adam, Alexander Alanine, Kurt E Amrein, Vadim Baidin, Christoph Bieniossek, Caterina Bissantz, Franziska Boess, Carina Cantrill, Thomas Clairfeuille, Fabian Dey, Patrick Di Giorgio, Pauline du Castel, David Dylus, Pawel Dzygiel, Antonio Felici, Fernando García-Alcalde, Andreas Haldimann, Matthew Leipner, Semen Leyn, Séverine Louvel, Pauline Misson, Andrei Osterman, Karanbir Pahil, Sébastien Rigo, Adrian Schäublin, Sebastian Scharf, Petra Schmitz, Theodor Stoll, Andrej Trauner, Sannah Zoffmann, Daniel Kahne, John A T Young, Michael A Lobritz, Kenneth A Bradley | Michael A. Lobritz, Kenneth A. Bradley | F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland | Nature | 169 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06873-0 |
| 4 | VFDB 2025: an integrated resource for exploring anti-virulence compounds | Siyu Zhou, Bo Liu, Dandan Zheng, Lihong Chen, Jian Yang | Siyu Zhou | Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, China | Nucleic Acids Research | 151 | 10.1093/nar/gkae968 |
| 5 | Antibiotic susceptibility testing using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays | Nikol Kadeřábková, Ayesha J S Mahmood, Despoina A I Mavridou | Nikol Kadeřábková, Despoina A. I. Mavridou | The University of Texas at Austin, United States | npj Antimicrobials and Resistance | 124 | 10.1038/s44259-024-00051-6 |
| 6 | Global burden of antimicrobial resistance and forecasts to 2050 | Samuel Kariuki | Samuel Kariuki | Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya | The Lancet | 116 | 10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01885-3 |
| 7 | Burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in low-income and middle-income countries avertible by existing interventions: an evidence review and modelling analysis | Joseph A Lewnard, Esmita Charani, Alec Gleason, Li Yang Hsu, Wasif Ali Khan, Abhilasha Karkey, Clare I R Chandler, Tapfumanei Mashe, Ejaz Ahmed Khan, Andre N H Bulabula, Pilar Donado-Godoy, Ramanan Laxminarayan | Joseph A Lewnard | University of California, United States | The Lancet | 104 | 10.1016/s0140-6736(24)00862-6 |
| 8 | Global antimicrobial resistance and use surveillance system (GLASS 2022): Investigating the relationship between antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial consumption data across the participating countries | Samuel Ajulo, Babafela Awosile | Samuel Ajulo, Babafela Awosile | Texas Tech University, United States | PLoS ONE | 97 | 10.1371/journal.pone.0297921 |
| 9 | A new antibiotic traps lipopolysaccharide in its intermembrane transporter | Karanbir S Pahil, Morgan S A Gilman, Vadim Baidin, Thomas Clairfeuille, Patrizio Mattei, Christoph Bieniossek, Fabian Dey, Dieter Muri, Remo Baettig, Michael Lobritz, Kenneth Bradley, Andrew C Kruse, Daniel Kahne | Andrew C. Kruse, Daniel Kahne | Harvard University, United States | Nature | 94 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06799-7 |
| 10 | Aztreonam–avibactam versus meropenem for the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria (REVISIT): a descriptive, multinational, open-label, phase 3, randomised trial | Yehuda Carmeli, José Miguel Cisneros, Mical Paul, George L Daikos, Minggui Wang, Julian Torre-Cisneros, George Singer, Ivan Titov, Illia Gumenchuk, Yongjie Zhao, Rosa-María Jiménez-Rodríguez, Lu Liang, Gang Chen, Oleksandr Pyptiuk, Firdevs Aksoy, Halley Rogers, Michele Wible, Francis F Arhin, Alison Luckey, Joanne L Leaney, Rienk Pypstra, Joseph W Chow, COMBACTE-CARE consortium REVISIT study group | José Miguel Cisneros | Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel | The Lancet Infectious Diseases | 86 | 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00499-7 |
| 11 | Prophage-encoded antibiotic resistance genes are enriched in human-impacted environments | Hanpeng Liao, Chen Liu, Shungui Zhou, Chunqin Liu, David J Eldridge, Chaofan Ai, Steven W Wilhelm, Brajesh K Singh, Xiaolong Liang, Mark Radosevich, Qiu-E Yang, Xiang Tang, Zhong Wei, Ville-Petri Friman, Michael Gillings, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Yong-Guan Zhu | Shungui Zhou, Manuel Delgado‐Baquerizo, Yong‐Guan Zhu | Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China | Nature Communications | 80 | 10.1038/s41467-024-52450-y |
| 12 | Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae capsular types, antibiotic resistance and virulence factors in China: a longitudinal, multi-centre study | Fupin Hu, Yuqing Pan, Heng Li, Renru Han, Xiao Liu, Ruijing Ma, Yongqin Wu, Heyuan Lun, Xiaohua Qin, Jiayin Li, Aixi Wang, Min Zhou, Bing Liu, Zhemin Zhou, Ping He | Min Zhou, Zhemin Zhou, Ping He | Fudan University, China | Nature Microbiology | 78 | 10.1038/s41564-024-01612-1 |
| 13 | Evolution and host-specific adaptation of<i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> | Aaron Weimann, Adam M Dinan, Christopher Ruis, Audrey Bernut, Stéphane Pont, Karen Brown, Judy Ryan, Lúcia Santos, Louise Ellison, Emem Ukor, Arun P Pandurangan, Sina Krokowski, Tom L Blundell, Martin Welch, Beth Blane, Kim Judge, Rachel Bousfield, Nicholas Brown, Josephine M Bryant, Irena Kukavica-Ibrulj, Giordano Rampioni, Livia Leoni, Patrick T Harrison, Sharon J Peacock, Nicholas R Thomson, Jeff Gauthier, Jo L Fothergill, Roger C Levesque, Julian Parkhill, R Andres Floto | Roger C. Lévesque, Julian Parkhill, R. Andrés Floto | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Science | 75 | 10.1126/science.adi0908 |
| 14 | Organic fertilization co-selects genetically linked antibiotic and metal(loid) resistance genes in global soil microbiome | Zi-Teng Liu, Rui-Ao Ma, Dong Zhu, Konstantinos T Konstantinidis, Yong-Guan Zhu, Si-Yu Zhang | Siyu Zhang | East China Normal University, China | Nature Communications | 73 | 10.1038/s41467-024-49165-5 |
| 15 | International and regional spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in Europe | Mabel Budia-Silva, Tomislav Kostyanev, Stefany Ayala-Montaño, Jose Bravo-Ferrer Acosta, Maria Garcia-Castillo, Rafael Cantón, Herman Goossens, Jesus Rodriguez-Baño, Hajo Grundmann, Sandra Reuter | Sandra Reuter | University of Freiburg - Medical Center, Germany | Nature Communications | 72 | 10.1038/s41467-024-49349-z |
| 16 | A Klebsiella-phage cocktail to broaden the host range and delay bacteriophage resistance both in vitro and in vivo | Huanchang Chen, Haifeng Liu, Yanchun Gong, Rhys A Dunstan, Zhexiao Ma, Cui Zhou, Deyi Zhao, Miran Tang, Trevor Lithgow, Tieli Zhou | Trevor Lithgow, Tieli Zhou | The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, China | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes | 71 | 10.1038/s41522-024-00603-8 |
| 17 | Hypervirulent and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: A global public health threat | Ting-Yu Lei, Bin-Bin Liao, Liang-Rui Yang, Ying Wang, Xu-Bing Chen | Ying Wang, Xu-bing Chen | Dali University, China | Microbiological Research | 68 | 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127839 |
| 18 | Profiles, drivers, and prioritization of antibiotics in China’s major rivers | Yi Liu, Meng Zhang, Yang Wu, Si Li, Jingrun Hu, Weiling Sun, Jinren Ni | Weiling Sun | Peking University, China | Journal of Hazardous Materials | 58 | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135399 |
| 19 | Rifaximin prophylaxis causes resistance to the last-resort antibiotic daptomycin | Adrianna M Turner, Lucy Li, Ian R Monk, Jean Y H Lee, Danielle J Ingle, Stephanie Portelli, Norelle L Sherry, Nicole Isles, Torsten Seemann, Liam K Sharkey, Calum J Walsh, Gavin E Reid, Shuai Nie, Bart A Eijkelkamp, Natasha E Holmes, Brennan Collis, Sara Vogrin, Andreas Hiergeist, Daniela Weber, Andre Gessner, Ernst Holler, David B Ascher, Sebastian Duchene, Nichollas E Scott, Timothy P Stinear, Jason C Kwong, Claire L Gorrie, Benjamin P Howden, Glen P Carter | Benjamin P. Howden, Glen P. Carter | The University of Melbourne, Australia | Nature | 57 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08095-4 |
| 20 | The influence of efflux pump, outer membrane permeability and β-lactamase production on the resistance profile of multi, extensively and pandrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae | Rawaa A Hussein, Shaymaa H Al-Kubaisy, Mushtak T S Al-Ouqaili | Mushtak T.S. Al-Ouqaili | University of Anbar, Iraq | Journal of Infection and Public Health | 56 | 10.1016/j.jiph.2024.102544 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The research landscape for the Class of 2026 is fundamentally driven by the mechanistic spread and clinical impact of resistance. **Horizontal gene transfer** and **mobile genetic elements** form the core of the biological focus, highlighting how resistance traits disseminate across bacterial populations. Clinically, **Klebsiella pneumoniae** and **Pseudomonas aeruginosa** emerged as the most critical pathogens studied, reflecting their status as major threats in healthcare settings. Additionally, **antimicrobial stewardship** is a prominent theme, indicating a strong parallel emphasis on managing and optimizing existing antibiotic use to combat resistance. The intersection of these themes underscores a dual approach: understanding the genetic basis of resistance spread and implementing clinical strategies to mitigate it.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

The transition to the Class of 2026 reveals a sharp pivot toward specific resistant phenotypes and advanced diagnostic methodologies. The most striking increase was seen in **Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae**, which surged in prominence alongside related topics like **KPC carbapenemase** and the **ST11** clone. Methodologically, the use of **mouse infection models** and **metagenomic sequencing** saw significant growth, reflecting a move towards more complex in vivo studies and high-resolution genomic tracking. Conversely, broader topics such as the **antimicrobial resistance mortality burden** and specific pathogens like **Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii** experienced relative declines. This shift suggests a maturing field that is moving away from broad epidemiological sizing towards targeted mechanistic studies and precision interventions for high-priority resistant strains.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/antibiotic-resistance-in-bacteria/2026. Accessed 2026-07-17.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
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