OBJECTIVES To collect reliable, comparable and publicly available data on hospital use of antibiotics in Europe aggregated at the national level (1997-2002). METHODS Consumption data of systemic antibiotics in Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) class J01 were collected and expressed in defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day. Valid data for 2002 were available for 15 countri...

BACKGROUND Antibiotic consumption is associated with adverse drug events (ADE) and increasing antibiotic resistance. Detailed information of antibiotic prescribing in different age categories is scarce, but necessary to develop strategies for prudent antibiotic use. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic prescriptions of different antibiotic classes in general practice in relatio...

The study was designed to compare antibiotic use, cost and consumption before and after an initiation of an antibiotic-restriction policy in our hospital. The policy was applied in 2003, and the prescription of two groups of antibiotics (intravenously used and expensive antibiotics) was restricted. A prescription for the restricted antibiotics could be obtained with approval by an infectious di...

BACKGROUND Technologies applied to mobile devices can be an important strategy in antibiotic stewardship programs. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a decision-making application on antibiotic prescription. METHODS This was an observational, analytical and longitudinal study on the implementation of an antimicrobial guide for mobile application. This study analy...

BACKGROUND Asthma is difficult to diagnose in children and at times misdiagnosis of an infection can occur. However, little is known about the magnitude and patterns of antibiotic consumption in children with asthma relative to those without asthma. METHODS Using population-based data, 128,872 children were identified with at least 6 years of follow-up. The adjusted rate-ratio (RR) of antibio...

OBJECTIVES Antibiotic use in French hospitals is among the highest in Europe. A study was carried out to describe antibiotic consumption for inpatients at hospital and at ward levels. METHODS Data were voluntarily collected retrospectively by 530 hospitals accounting for approximately 40 million patient-days (PD) on the following: antibacterials for systemic use [J01 class of the WHO Anatomic...

Gut microbiota is formed by ten of trillions of microorganisms with at least 1000 different species of known bacteria. One - third of an individual gut microbiota is common to most people, while two - thirds are specific to him. Growing amount of evidence indicates that gut microbiota characteristics may play an important role in mental dysfunctions. Molecular mimicry between several key neurop...

Literature on socioeconomic determinants of antibiotic consumption in the community is limited to few countries using cross-sectional data. This paper analyses regional variations in outpatient antibiotics in Italy using a balanced panel dataset covering the period 2000-2008. We specify an econometric model in which antibiotic consumption depends upon demographic and socioeconomic characteristi...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Extensive use of antibiotics has added to the escalation of antibiotic resistance. This study was undertaken to evaluate the association, if any between antibiotic use and resistance in a hospital setting, and also detect the predominant mechanism of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae over a period of 10 years. METHODS In a retrospectiv...

With a burgeoning world population, expansions in medical intervention, and intensifi ed agriculture, the need for antibiotic stewardship is increasingly clear. Declining effi cacy of antimicrobial prophylaxis for surgery or chemotherapy, and emergence of pan-resistant pathogens, warn of a post-antibiotic era. In the evolutionary arms race of antimicrobial resistance, rejuvenating the neglected...