Abstract
We used hospital antibiograms to assess predominant pathogens and their patterns of in vitro antimicrobial resistance in central Illinois, USA. We found a lack of information about national guidelines for in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing and differences in interpretation among laboratories in the region.
Highlights
We used hospital antibiograms to assess predominant pathogens and their patterns of in vitro antimicrobial resistance in central Illinois, USA
Anumber of databases are available in the United States to monitor antimicrobial resistance at a national level [1]
Databases are unlikely to prove useful in improving antimicrobial use in the communities for a number of reasons: 1) most antimicrobial drug prescriptions in the community are written by primary care physicians, 2) most primary care physicians do not use these resources, and 3) industry-generated data are often used to highlight a particular antimicrobial drug
Summary
We used hospital antibiograms to assess predominant pathogens and their patterns of in vitro antimicrobial resistance in central Illinois, USA. Very often, when patients have been treated with empiric antimicrobial drugs, the culture results at the tertiary care institutions may be negative or do not detect the infecting organism To overcome these difficulties and improve the outcome of serious infections in the referral area for our institution, we monitored resistance patterns in the region and generated a regional antibiogram, which will be shared with all participating hospitals. The Study A packet was sent to the clinical microbiology laboratories of the 77 hospitals in the area It included a letter describing the project, a questionnaire on hospital characteristics and laboratory testing methods, and a request for existing antibiograms from the most recent period for which completed data were available. We recognize the shortcomings of the data presented in this article but believe them to be the basis for improvement at a fundamental level
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