Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/11/stewardship-resistance-scan-nov-19-2021
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Nov 19, 2021
Decline in European antibiotic use; Trends in Staph bloodstream infections
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship; Healthcare-Associated Infections; MRSA
European data show big drop in antibiotic use during the pandemic
New data from the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC) show a dramatic drop in community antibiotic use across Europe during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report published yesterday in Eurosurveillance, ECDC researchers looked at data reported to the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net) by 27 European Union/European Economic Activity (EU/EEA) countries and found that overall community antibiotic consumption fell by 18.3% from 2019 to 2020—the largest annual decline in ESAC-Net's two-decade history. By comparison, community antibiotic use fell by only 1.8% per year from 2016 to 2019.
The largest decreases were observed for penicillins, followed by other beta-lactam antibiotics, including macrolides, cephalosporins, lincosamides, and streptogramins. Only 1 of the 27 countries—Bulgaria—reported an increase in community antibiotic use from 2019 to 2020.
Although the reasons for the dramatic decline are unclear, the authors suggest it's likely related to the low-incidence of non-COVID respiratory infections in 2020, which in turn is linked to COVID-19 mitigation measures, including physical distancing, masking, and hand hygiene. In addition, reduced access to primary care may have resulted in fewer antibiotic prescriptions.
Another ECDC surveillance report, also based on ESAC-Net data, found a significant, though not as dramatic, decline in hospital antibiotic consumption, which fell by 4.5% from 2019 to 2020. Combined hospital and community antibiotic use fell by 17.6%.
EU officials cautioned, however, that resistance rates for pathogens like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae continue to rise, and that countries will need to remain focused on antibiotic stewardship once the pandemic ends.
"Antimicrobial resistance remains a serious challenge globally," Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said in an ECDC press release. "Antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic that is happening here and now. Although antibiotic consumption generally decreased during the pandemic in the EU/EEA, we must increase our public health response."
Nov 18 Eurosurveill rapid communication
Nov 18 ECDC surveillance report
Nov 18 ECDC press release
Staphylococcus bloodstream infections rising in Europe, study finds
In another surveillance study published yesterday in Eurosurveillance, European researchers reported a significant increase across the continent in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (BSIs), despite a decline in BSIs caused by methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA).
The analysis of data from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) for 2005 through 2018 found that, in the 25 EU/EEA countries that consistently reported data on S aureus BSIs, the proportion of BSIs caused by MRSA declined from 30.2% in 2005 to 16.3% in 2018. The percentage of MRSA BSIs declined across all age-groups.
During the same period, however, the total number of S aureus BSIs increased by 57%, driven by an 84% increase in BSIs caused by methicillin-susceptible S aureus (MSSA). The number of MRSA BSIs fell by 31%.
The study authors suggest the increase in S aureus BSIs could by linked to an aging population and the increased risk of infection among elderly patients, although they note that aging cannot alone explain the dramatic increase. They say the findings also indicate the possible increasing role of MSSA as a healthcare-associated pathogen.
"This increasing trend in the number of MSSA BSI in the EU/EEA needs further attention since MSSA BSI have high case fatality rates and there are still issues regarding their optimal treatment," they wrote. "Further studies at local, national, or supranational level, based on different data sources, are necessary to answer the questions raised by our results, in particular to identify all the factors associated with the described trends in MSSA and MRSA BSI."
Nov 18 Eurosurveill study
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Nov 19, 2021
Decline in European antibiotic use; Trends in Staph bloodstream infections
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship; Healthcare-Associated Infections; MRSA
European data show big drop in antibiotic use during the pandemic
New data from the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC) show a dramatic drop in community antibiotic use across Europe during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report published yesterday in Eurosurveillance, ECDC researchers looked at data reported to the European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption Network (ESAC-Net) by 27 European Union/European Economic Activity (EU/EEA) countries and found that overall community antibiotic consumption fell by 18.3% from 2019 to 2020—the largest annual decline in ESAC-Net's two-decade history. By comparison, community antibiotic use fell by only 1.8% per year from 2016 to 2019.
The largest decreases were observed for penicillins, followed by other beta-lactam antibiotics, including macrolides, cephalosporins, lincosamides, and streptogramins. Only 1 of the 27 countries—Bulgaria—reported an increase in community antibiotic use from 2019 to 2020.
Although the reasons for the dramatic decline are unclear, the authors suggest it's likely related to the low-incidence of non-COVID respiratory infections in 2020, which in turn is linked to COVID-19 mitigation measures, including physical distancing, masking, and hand hygiene. In addition, reduced access to primary care may have resulted in fewer antibiotic prescriptions.
Another ECDC surveillance report, also based on ESAC-Net data, found a significant, though not as dramatic, decline in hospital antibiotic consumption, which fell by 4.5% from 2019 to 2020. Combined hospital and community antibiotic use fell by 17.6%.
EU officials cautioned, however, that resistance rates for pathogens like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae continue to rise, and that countries will need to remain focused on antibiotic stewardship once the pandemic ends.
"Antimicrobial resistance remains a serious challenge globally," Stella Kyriakides, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said in an ECDC press release. "Antimicrobial resistance is a silent pandemic that is happening here and now. Although antibiotic consumption generally decreased during the pandemic in the EU/EEA, we must increase our public health response."
Nov 18 Eurosurveill rapid communication
Nov 18 ECDC surveillance report
Nov 18 ECDC press release
Staphylococcus bloodstream infections rising in Europe, study finds
In another surveillance study published yesterday in Eurosurveillance, European researchers reported a significant increase across the continent in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (BSIs), despite a decline in BSIs caused by methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA).
The analysis of data from the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (EARS-Net) for 2005 through 2018 found that, in the 25 EU/EEA countries that consistently reported data on S aureus BSIs, the proportion of BSIs caused by MRSA declined from 30.2% in 2005 to 16.3% in 2018. The percentage of MRSA BSIs declined across all age-groups.
During the same period, however, the total number of S aureus BSIs increased by 57%, driven by an 84% increase in BSIs caused by methicillin-susceptible S aureus (MSSA). The number of MRSA BSIs fell by 31%.
The study authors suggest the increase in S aureus BSIs could by linked to an aging population and the increased risk of infection among elderly patients, although they note that aging cannot alone explain the dramatic increase. They say the findings also indicate the possible increasing role of MSSA as a healthcare-associated pathogen.
"This increasing trend in the number of MSSA BSI in the EU/EEA needs further attention since MSSA BSI have high case fatality rates and there are still issues regarding their optimal treatment," they wrote. "Further studies at local, national, or supranational level, based on different data sources, are necessary to answer the questions raised by our results, in particular to identify all the factors associated with the described trends in MSSA and MRSA BSI."
Nov 18 Eurosurveill study
