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Availability for the workshop is limited; early registration is recommended.

 

Workshop 1. Modern Diagnostics for Antimicrobial Resistance: Practical Applications for Clinical Care, Stewardship and Surveillance

Date and time: Tuesday, 10 November, 09:00-12:00

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and is recognized as one of the greatest global health challenges of our time. Timely and accurate diagnostics are fundamental to addressing this challenge by enabling rapid pathogen identification, guiding appropriate antimicrobial therapy, reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use, and supporting effective antimicrobial stewardship programmes. Beyond individual patient care, diagnostic data are essential for infection prevention and control, outbreak detection, national AMR surveillance systems, and evidence-based public health decision-making. Recent advances in diagnostic technologies including rapid phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), syndromic panels, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), whole genome sequencing (WGS), metagenomics, and point-of-care diagnostics are transforming the detection and characterization of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. These innovations provide unprecedented opportunities to improve clinical outcomes, strengthen surveillance, and accelerate public health responses. However, significant challenges remain in ensuring equitable access, integrating diagnostic innovations into routine clinical practice, maintaining laboratory quality systems, and translating diagnostic results into timely clinical and public health action, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This interactive workshop will provide participants with practical knowledge of current and emerging AMR diagnostic technologies and their applications across clinical, laboratory, public health, and One Health settings. Through expert presentations, interactive polling, case-based discussions, and small-group exercises, participants will examine how diagnostic information supports antimicrobial prescribing, diagnostic stewardship, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and surveillance programmes. The workshop will also explore implementation challenges and practical solutions for strengthening diagnostic capacity in diverse healthcare settings. Rather than focusing solely on laboratory methods, this workshop emphasizes the complete diagnostic pathway-from specimen collection and laboratory testing to interpretation of results and translation into clinical and public health action. Participants will leave with practical tools, implementation strategies, and decision-support resources that can be adapted within their own institutions to strengthen AMR diagnosis, optimize antimicrobial use, and improve surveillance systems.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the role of diagnostics in antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, and AMR surveillance.
  • Compare conventional microbiology with emerging rapid diagnostic technologies for detecting antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
  • Interpret antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results and apply them to evidence-based antimicrobial prescribing.
  • Evaluate the strengths, limitations, and implementation considerations of molecular diagnostics, MALDI-TOF MS, multiplex PCR, syndromic panels, whole genome sequencing, metagenomics, and point-of-care testing.
  • Apply principles of diagnostic stewardship to optimize antimicrobial use and improve patient outcomes.

 

Workshop 2. Wastewater Environmental Surveillance for Control of Infectious Diseases

Date and time: Tuesday, 10 November, 09:00-12:00

Wastewater surveillance has emerged as a powerful population-level monitoring tool that detects viral, bacterial, and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens shed into the environment, often before clinical cases rise. By capturing community-wide signals—including from asymptomatic individuals—this method supports early outbreak detection, trend tracking, and targeted public-health interventions. Wastewater monitoring complements traditional surveillance and enhances preparedness for pandemics, enteric diseases, and emerging threats. This workshop envisages an interactive session with presentations, group work and case studies related to the topic.

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain the scientific basis and public-health value of wastewater surveillance.
  • Describe sampling, testing, and data-analysis techniques used in environmental monitoring.
  • Interpret wastewater findings to support outbreak prediction and response.
  • Assess challenges and opportunities for integrating wastewater data into routine surveillance systems.

Workshop facilitators: Mukhlid Yousif (South Africa), Kerrigan McCarthy (South Africa),  Afreenish Amir (Pakistan), Tarja Pitkänen (Finland),  Muhammad Imran Nisar (Pakistan)

Workshop 3. Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Infectious Diseases

Date and time: Tuesday, 10 November, 13:00-17:00

Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics are transforming infectious-disease surveillance, prediction, diagnosis, and response by enabling rapid analysis of large, complex datasets. AI tools can detect outbreak signals earlier, improve clinical diagnostic accuracy, optimize resource allocation, and support decision-making in real time. As digital data sources expand—from electronic health records to genomics and mobility data—ethical, transparent, and equitable use of AI becomes essential to maximize public-health benefit. This workshop envisages an interactive session with presentations, group work and case studies related to the topic.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe how AI and big data are applied in infectious-disease detection and response.
  • Identify data sources and analytical techniques used in AI-driven public-health systems.
  • Evaluate the strengths and limitations of AI tools in outbreak prediction and clinical care.
  • Discuss ethical, equity, and governance considerations in the use of AI for public health.

Workshop facilitators: Joseph Tsui (United Kingdom),  Javier Fernandez Dominguez (Spain), Pablo Valledor Pellicer (Spain), Auss Abbood (United Kingdom)Auss Abbood (United Kingdom)