ECDC report documents variable antibiotic consumption in Europe

A new surveillance report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows wide ranges of antibiotic consumption in Europe, with no significant trends in mean consumption observed.

The fourth annual report of the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net) is based on antimicrobial consumption data from the community and the hospital sector in European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries for the years 2013 and 2014. It shows that population-weighted EU/EEA mean community consumption in 2014 was 21.9 defined daily doses (DDD) per 1,000 inhabitants per day—the same level as 2013—with the highest consumption in Greece (35.1 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants/day) and the lowest in the Netherlands (10.6 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants/day). The most commonly used subgroups of antibiotics were combinations of penicillins, including beta-lactamase inhibitors and penicillins with extended spectrum, followed by macrolides and tetracyclines.

An analysis of EU/EEA data from the previous 5 years did not reveal any significant trend in the mean overall consumption across Europe from 2010 through 2014, but two countries (Cyprus and Sweden) showed a significant decreasing trend in community antibiotic consumption, while a significant increasing trend was observed in the United Kingdom. Significant and divergent trends were observed for two quality indicators measuring consumption of beta-lactamase-sensitive penicillins and combinations of penicillins, including beta-lactamase inhibitors.

In the hospital sector, the population-weighted EU/EEA mean consumption was 2.0 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants/day, with no significant trends in the mean consumption apparent for the previous 5 years. Hospital consumption varied from 1.0 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants/day in the Netherlands to 2.6 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants/day in Finland. The most frequently used subgroups of antibiotics were penicillins, other beta-lactam antibiotics including cephalosporins, and quinolones. A significant increasing trend in the use of carbapenems and polymixins for serious infections was reported in several countries.
May 28 ECDC antimicrobial consumption report

NICU intervention reduces antibiotic use in neonates

Implementation of a 48-hour automatic stop for empiric antibiotics orders in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was highly effective at reducing antibiotic usage, researchers from the University of Wisconsin reported yesterday in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

The observational double-cohort study measured antibiotic use before and after the autostop initiative was implemented at UnityPoint Health-Meriter, a level-3 NICU where 48-hour empiric antibiotic coverage (ampicillin and gentamicin) is recommended for newborns at risk of infection and duration is open-ended. The intervention limited the antibiotic duration to 48 hours' coverage. The primary objective was to test whether the autostop would decrease total parenteral antibiotic doses per patient or antibiotic doses per patient per day. Secondary objectives were to evaluate length of stay and pharmacy charges.

In the pre-intervention period, 305 of 546 neonates (54%) received admission antibiotics, and 294 of 639 neonates (46%) in the post-intervention period received admission antibiotics. The results showed that after implementation of the autostop initiative, antibiotic doses per patient decreased by 35% and antibiotic doses per patient-day decreased by 25% (P < .0001 for both). The greatest effect was on vancomycin, which is not included in the admission order set but saw a 66% decrease in usage. Basic antibiotic costs decreased, on average, by 31.5% in the year after the initiative was implemented.

In each patient who had positive culture results and clinical signs of infection, proactive continuation of antibiotics was observed without missed doses. No adverse events were observed, and no antibiotic doses intended for a known pathogen were missed.

The findings are significant because antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed medication in NICUs, but determining which newborns need antibiotics based on clinical signs is difficult, and broad-spectrum antibiotic use in neonates confers risk.

"Minimizing unnecessary antibiotic exposure confers benefits, including less morbidity or fewer deaths resulting from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections," the authors of the study write. "Decreased NICU exposure to antibiotics might decrease resistance and prevent nephrotoxicity, hepatoxicity, hematologic abnormalities, pain, and blood loss during the requisite blood draws for therapeutic monitoring."
May 28 J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc abstract

Study: Modified urine-culture report cuts unnecessary antibiotic treatment

A study yesterday in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology found that modified urine-culture reporting is associated with a significant reduction in inappropriate antibiotic treatment for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB), without an increase in adverse events.

The randomized, parallel superiority trial, conducted by researchers with Memorial University of Newfoundland, compared two different methods of reporting urine cultures. The standard report included bacterial count, bacterial identification, and antibiotic susceptibility information, including drug dosage and cost. The modified report informed the physician that significant bacterial growth was detected, but bacterial identification and susceptibility information were withheld unless requested. The researchers hypothesized that the modified report would reduce antibiotic treatment of ASB without increasing untreated urinary tract infection (UTI), pyelonephritis, bacteremia, or death.

The results of positive urine cultures from 110 consecutive inpatients at two urban acute-care hospitals were randomized 1:1 to the standard report (control) or the modified report (intervention). Of the 110 positive cultures, 76 (69.1%) represented ASB rather than UTI, with more UTIs in the intervention arm (36.3%) than in the control arm (25.4%).

According to the intention-to-treat analysis, the proportion of appropriate treatment (UTI treated plus ASB not treated) was higher in the intervention arm in the control arm: 44 of 55 (80%) versus 29 of 55 (52.7%), respectively. Results were similar in the per-protocol analysis. In addition, untreated UTI was more frequent in the control arm than in the intervention arm (14.3% vs. 10%). There was one bacteremia case and two deaths in the intervention arm, but none of these events were considered to have been related to the intervention.

The authors say the results of their proof-of-concept study suggest that modified reporting represents a simple, low-cost, sustainable intervention to reduce antibiotic treatment of ASB, but that safety should be assessed in larger trials before implementation.
May 28 Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol abstract

US survey finds PharmD offerings of stewardship in curricula variable

A survey 116 PharmD programs throughout the United States found that integration of antimicrobial stewardship into curricula is variable, with considerable differences in activities and topics, according to a new study in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

The 116 responding programs represent 85% of the 137 Doctor of Pharmacy schools contacted for the survey. Respondents reported that stewardship was incorporated into 68.1% of required courses, 37.1% of elective courses, and 83.6% of experiential education components of the curricula.

The two most common antimicrobial stewardship topics were definitions, principles, and purpose (98.7% of required and 86.0% of elective curricula) and the pharmacist's role in stewardship (93.7% and 83.7%). In experiential education courses, the pharmacist's role in stewardship (96.9%), de-escalation of antimicrobials (96.9%), and antimicrobial dose optimization (95.9%) led the pack. PharmD programs employing a faculty member who specializes in antimicrobial stewardship were more likely to offer related experiential education than programs without antimicrobial stewardship faculty, 88.1% to 71.9%.
May 28 J Antimicrob Chemother study

Inappropriate antibiotics tied to deaths in Elizabethkingia cases

Another study in the same journal reports that, among 67 patients who had multidrug-resistant Elizabethkingia anophelis, inappropriate antimicrobial therapy was an independent risk factor for mortality, which occurred in 28% of the patients.

The cases were identified from 2005 through 2016 in Taiwan. The 67 patients included 47 men and 20 women, whose median age was 61 years. The researchers identified a comorbidity in 57 (85.1%) of the patients. Among the 67 E anophelis isolates, 40 (59.7%) were isolated from blood. Adjusted odds ratio of inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy as an independent risk factor for mortality was 10.01.

Although all isolates were not susceptible to multiple antibiotics, all were susceptible to minocycline. Susceptibilities to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were 4.5% and 58.2%, respectively.

The authors conclude, "Minocycline has the potential to be the drug of choice in patients with E. anophelis infections. Additional investigations are needed to determine the optimal antimicrobial agents to treat this life-threatening infection."

In 2016, Wisconsin officials reported 67 E anophelis cases, including 19 fatalities. Most of the isolates tested in that outbreak were susceptible to fluoroquinolones, rifampin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
May 28 J Antimicrob Chemother abstract