Southeast‑Asian Landscape of Antimicrobial Resistance Research (2014-2024): A Bibliometric Analysis.

Aim: This study aimed to map the Southeast‑Asian research landscape on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) using bibliometric techniques.

Background: Despite AMR's growing threat and Southeast Asia's high-risk profile, no comprehensive bibliometric synthesis as examined AMR research trajectories in areas such as diagnostics, genomic surveillance, and policy frameworks, along with the region's evolving contributions.

Methods: A total of 1,989 Scopus-indexed articles (2014-2024; mean citations = 17.33 per document) were analyzed in VOSviewer (v 1.6.20). Bibliographic cleaning was performed in Microsoft Excel, and no additional mapping tools (e.g., CiteSpace, BibExcel) were used. Co-citation analysis identified influential publications and intellectual domains, while co-word analysis revealed thematic clusters and keyword co-occurrence patterns.

Results: Between 2014 and 2024, AMR publications in Southeast Asia grew steadily, peaking in 2024 with over 320 articles. The four co-citation clusters encompassed (1) global AMR governance and risk framing, (2) genomic tools for resistance detection, (3) foodborne AMR and standardized lab protocols, and (4) phylogenomic tracking of resistance evolution. The four co-word clusters revealed focus areas in diagnostic surveillance, sociodemographic patterns, One Health perspectives, and molecular epidemiology. Despite this growth (1,989 total articles), Southeast Asian research played a prominent role in zoonotic AMR surveillance and genomic studies but remained underrepresented in highly cited publications and globally influential policy discussions.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the need for equitable integration of Southeast Asia into the global AMR agenda. Strengthening regional genomic surveillance, adapting global frameworks to local systems, and embedding AMR competencies in public health and nursing education are critical for advancing policy and capacity-building.