Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1028549
39 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP 5 common drug-resistant pathogens cost US about $2.9B By Anuja Vaidya A study published in Antimicrobial Resis- tance & Infection Control examined the economic cost of antimicrobial resistance per antibiotic consumed. Researchers studied the economic costs of anti- microbial resistance for five pathogens (S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, A. baumanii and P. aerugi- nosa) as well as consumption data for antibiotic classes driving resistance in these organisms. They used this data to calculate the economic cost of antimicrobial resistance per antibiotic consumed for different drug classes, using data from Thailand and the U.S. to represent low/middle and high-in- come countries. The study shows the total economic cost of anti- microbial resistance due to resistance in the five pathogens was $500 million in Thailand and $2.9 billion in the U.S. The cost of antimicrobial resis- tance associated with the consumption of one standard unit of antibiotics ranged from $0.10 for carbapenems to $0.60 for quinolones, cephalo- sporins and broad-spectrum penicillins. "The economic costs of antimicrobial resistance per antibiotic consumed were considerable, often exceeding their purchase cost," study authors wrote. "Notwithstanding their limitations, use of these estimates in economic evaluations can make bet- ter-informed policy recommendations regarding interventions that affect antimicrobial consumption and those aimed specifically at reducing the bur- den of antimicrobial resistance." n How many FTEs are required for successful antibiotic stewardship programs? By Anuja Vaidya A paper published in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control reviewed legislative requirements and human resource require- ments for antibiotic stewardship programs. Antimicrobial stewardship experts from across Canada conducted a narrative review of the litera- ture of the regulator y requirements and HR recom- mendations for stewardship programs. They used a consensus decision-making process to develop HR recommendations based on a 1,000-bed acute care healthcare facility in Canada. Researchers recommended the following minimum full-time equivalents per 1,000 acute care beds: • One physician • Three pharmacists • 0.5 program administrative and coordination support • 0.4 data analyst support n Antibiotic resistance levels in this bacteria are 'alarming,' researchers say By Harrison Cook R earchers found an increase of antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which cause gastric cancer and other gastro-related infections, according to a study published in Gastroenterology Journal. Here are four things to know: 1. Researchers examined public databases to identify 178 studies on rates of H. pylori resistance to the following antibiotics: clarithro- mycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, amoxicillin or tetracycline. e combination of studies included data on 53,583 patients and about 66,142 bacterial samples from 65 countries. 2. Researchers created estimates of primary and secondary resistance in every World Health Organization-designated regions. 3. H. pylori antibiotic resistance to clarithromycin, metronidazole and levofloxacin was 15 percent or higher across all regions except the Americas, European region and Southeast Asia region. 4. In the Americas and Southeast Asian region, H. pylori antibiotic resistance to clarithromycin was 10 percent. In Europe, H. pylori antibiotic resistance to levofloxacin was 11 percent. "Resistance of H. pylori to antibiotics has reached alarming levels worldwide, which [h]as a great effect on efficacy of treatment," the researchers concluded. "Local surveillance networks are required to select appropriate eradication regimens for each region." n