Antibiotic use prior to seeking medical care in patients with persistent fever: a cross-sectional study in four low- and middle-income countries

Antibiotic use and adherence to the WHO AWaRe guidelines across 16 hospitals in Zambia: a point prevalence survey

Background

The inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals contributes to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study evaluated the prevalence of antibiotic use and adherence to the World Health Organization (WHO) Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) classification of antibiotics across 16 hospitals in Zambia.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional study employing the WHO Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) methodology and WHO AWaRe classification of antibiotics was conducted among inpatients across 16 hospitals in December 2023, Zambia. Data analysis was performed using STATA version 17.0.

Results

Of the 1296 inpatients surveyed in the 16 hospitals, 56% were female, and 54% were aged between 16 and 50 years. The overall prevalence of antibiotic use was 70%. Additionally, 52% of the inpatients received Watch group antibiotics, with ceftriaxone being the most prescribed antibiotic. Slightly below half (48%) of the inpatients received Access group antibiotics. Compliance with the local treatment guidelines was 53%.

Conclusions

This study found a high prevalence of prescribing and use of antibiotics in hospitalized patients across the surveyed hospitals in Zambia. The high use of Watch group antibiotics was above the recommended threshold indicating non-adherence to the WHO AWaRe guidelines for antibiotic use. Hence, there is a need to establish and strengthen antimicrobial stewardship programmes that promote the rational use of antibiotics in hospitals in Zambia.

Evaluating the effect of a behavioural intervention bundle on antibiotic use, quality of care, and household transmission of resistant Enterobacteriaceae in intervention versus control clusters in rural Burkina Faso and DR Congo (CABU-EICO)

BACKGROUND

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rising threat in low-resource settings, largely driven by transmission in the community, outside health facilities. Inappropriate antibiotic use is one of the main modifiable drivers of AMR. Its risk is especially high in poor resource settings, with limited diagnostic and surveillance capacities, and many informal medicine vendors determining community use. We hypothesise that to optimise community antibiotic use, especially Watch antibiotics (recommended only as first-choice for more severe clinical presentations or for causative pathogens likely to be resistant to Access antibiotics), both the supply side (medicine vendors) and the demand side (communities) should be pro-actively involved in any intervention.

METHODS

In two existing demographic health surveillance sites (HDSS) in Burkina Faso and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, behavioural intervention bundles were co-created in a participatory approach, aiming to rationalise (Watch) antibiotic use and improve hygiene and sanitation practices. Bundles consisted of interactive interventions, including theatre, posters, discussions, etc. To evaluate impact, 11 of 22 clusters (a HDSS community with at least one (in)formal medicine vendor) were randomly assigned to this intervention, which will run over a year. The effect of the intervention will be evaluated by comparing outcomes before and after in intervention and control villages from a) exit interviews of clients from vendors, b) mystery patients presenting to vendors with a set of predefined symptoms, c) household interviews to assess behavioural changes related to antibiotic use, health literacy and water-sanitation-hygiene indicators. Long-term impact on AMR will be estimated by modelling changes in resistant Enterobacteriaceae carriage from repeated household surveys before, during and after the intervention in both arms.

DISCUSSION

Most existing interventions aimed at improving antibiotic use focus on health care use, but in resource-limited settings, community use is highly prevalent. Previous studies targeting only providers failed to show an effect on antibiotic use. Evaluation will be done with before-after epidemiological measurements of actual prescriptions and use. If effective in reducing (Watch) antibiotic use, this would be an empowering methodology for communities, which has significant promise for long-term impact.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05378880 . 13 May 2022.

Reported antibiotic use among patients in the multicenter ANDEMIA infectious diseases surveillance study in sub-saharan Africa

BACKGROUND

Exposure to antibiotics has been shown to be one of the drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is critical to address when planning and implementing strategies for combatting AMR. However, data on antibiotic use in sub-Saharan Africa are still limited. Using hospital-based surveillance data from the African Network for Improved Diagnostics, Epidemiology and Management of Common Infectious Agents (ANDEMIA), we assessed self-reported antibiotic use in multiple sub-Saharan African countries.

METHODS

ANDEMIA included 12 urban and rural health facilities in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Republic of South Africa. Patients with acute respiratory infection (RTI), acute gastrointestinal infection (GI) and acute febrile disease of unknown cause (AFDUC) were routinely enrolled, and clinical, demographic, socio-economic and behavioral data were collected using standardized questionnaires. An analysis of ANDEMIA data from February 2018 to May 2022 was conducted. Reported antibiotic use in the ten days prior to study enrolment were described by substance and by the WHO AWaRe classification ("Access", "Watch", "Reserve", and "Not recommended" antibiotics). Frequency of antibiotic use was stratified by location, disease syndrome and individual patient factors.

RESULTS

Among 19,700 ANDEMIA patients, 7,258 (36.8%) reported antibiotic use. A total of 9,695 antibiotics were reported, including 54.7% (n = 5,299) from the WHO Access antibiotic group and 44.7% (n = 4,330) from the WHO Watch antibiotic group. The Watch antibiotic ceftriaxone was the most commonly reported antibiotic (n = 3,071, 31.7%). Watch antibiotic use ranged from 17.4% (56/322) among RTI patients in Côte d'Ivoire urban facilities to 73.7% (630/855) among AFDUC patients in Burkina Faso urban facilities. Reported antibiotic use included WHO Not recommended antibiotics but no Reserve antibiotics.

CONCLUSIONS

Reported antibiotic use data from this multicenter study in sub-Saharan Africa revealed a high proportion of WHO Watch antibiotics. Differences in Watch antibiotic use were found by disease syndrome, country and health facility location, which calls for a more differentiated approach to antibiotic use interventions including further evaluation of accessibility and affordability of patient treatment.

Antibiotics use evaluation among hospitalized adult patients at Jimma Medical Center, southwestern Ethiopia: the way to pave for antimicrobial stewardship

BACKGROUND

An irrational antibiotic use is a common problem in developing countries like Ethiopia, which makes empiric antibiotics use difficult. It is considered to be the greatest health problem in our time and future unless intervened. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the patterns of antibiotics use among hospitalized adult patients to pave the way for antimicrobial stewardship.

METHODS

A hospital-based prospective observational study was conducted at Jimma Medical Center, southwestern Ethiopia, from 30 October 2020 to 29 January 2021 with 360 adult hospitalized patients participating. A semi-structured questionnaire and consecutive sampling technique was used for data collection. The data were collected through medical record reviews and patient interviews. The collected data were entered into Epi-data and exported to SPSS® version 23.0 for analysis. Days of therapy (DOT) and essential medicine lists "Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe)" antibiotics classification were used to assess antibiotic use pattern among participants.

RESULTS

The majority of study participants were females (55.3%), attended formal education (59.4%), and live in rural areas (61.4%) with mean age ± (SD) of 37.65 ± (16.75). The overall rate of antibiotics consumption during the study was 111 days of therapy per 100 bed-days and about two-thirds (66%) of the prescribed antibiotics were from the "Watch" group antibiotics. The indicator level of antibiotics use for "Access" group antibiotics was 34% in this study based on the World Health Organization Essential Medicine List. Cephalosporins were the most commonly used class of antibiotics (93.9%).

CONCLUSION

Higher antibiotics exposure and their consumption frequently observed among adult hospitalized patients in the study setting. There was a rapid increase in "Watch" group antibiotics use and about two-thirds of the prescribed antibiotics were from this group. The third-generation cephalosporin were the most commonly used class of antibiotics. Generally, higher consumption and inappropriate antibiotics use among hospitalized adult patients showed the need for urgent interventions by implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in hospitals.

Non-prescribed antibiotic use for children at community levels in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Non-prescribed antibiotic use is an emerging risky practice around the globe. An inappropriate use involving nonprescription access is one cause of the rapid increase in antibiotic resistance. Children commonly encounter many self-limiting illnesses for which they frequently use antibiotics without prescription. However, no specific and conclusive evidence exists to inform actions against this unsafe practice. We thus aimed to estimate the pooled proportion of non-prescribed antibiotic use for children at community levels in low- and middle-income countries.

METHODS

A systematic search of records was conducted from PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and Google scholar. Eligible English-language publications were original articles which reported on community-based non-prescribed antibiotic use for children and conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Study features and the number of antibiotics used without prescriptions were extracted and pooled for effect sizes employing a random-effects model. The pooled proportion of non-prescribed antibiotic use was estimated as a percentage.

RESULTS

In this analysis, we included a total of 39 articles consisting of 40,450 participants. Of these, 16,315 participants used non-prescribed antibiotics. The pooled percentage for this use of non-prescribed antibiotics was 45% (95% CI: 40-50%). The estimate was considerably higher in studies involving simulated patient methods (56%; 95% CI: 49-62%) than those studies with community surveys (40%; 95% CI: 34-46%) (P = 0.001). It was also varied by the recall period of antibiotics use-56% (95% CI: 50-62%) for instantly observed practice, 36% (95% CI: 22-50%) for within two week recall, 35% (95% CI: 26-45%) for 1-6 months recall, and 46% (95% CI: 37-54%) for more than six months recall (P = 0.001). Primary access points for the non-prescribed antibiotic uses were retail drug outlets.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that nearly half of the antibiotics used for children in community settings were without prescriptions. For these unsafe practices, caregivers accessed antibiotics mainly from drug outlets. Hence, context-specific educational and regulatory interventions at these outlets and the community levels are the first steps to improving antibiotic usage for children in low- and middle-income countries.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42021288971 (PROSPERO).  https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021288971 .

ACCURACY OF C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AND PROCALCITONIN FOR DIAGNOSING BACTERIAL INFECTIONS AMONG SUBJECTS WITH PERSISTENT FEVER IN THE TROPICS

Background

In low-resource settings, inflammatory biomarkers can help identify patients with acute febrile illness who do not require antibiotics. Their use has not been studied in persistent fever (defined as fever lasting for ≥7 days at presentation).

Methods

C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels were measured in stored serum samples of patients with persistent fever prospectively enrolled in Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, and Sudan. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed for identifying all bacterial infections and the subcategory of severe infections judged to require immediate antibiotics.

Results

Among 1838 participants, CRP and PCT levels were determined in 1777 (96.7%) and 1711 (93.1%) samples, respectively, while white blood cell (WBC) count was available for 1762 (95.9%). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for bacterial infections were higher for CRP (0.669) and WBC count (0.651) as compared with PCT (0.600; P <.001). Sensitivity for overall and severe bacterial infections was 76.3% (469/615) and 88.2% (194/220) for CRP >10 mg/L, 62.4% (380/609) and 76.8% (169/220) for PCT >0.1 µg/L, and 30.5% (184/604) and 43.7% (94/215) for WBC >11 000/µL, respectively. Initial CRP level was <10 mg/L in 45% of the participants who received antibiotics at first presentation.

Conclusions

In patients with persistent fever, CRP and PCT showed higher sensitivity for bacterial infections than WBC count, applying commonly used cutoffs for normal values. A normal CRP value excluded the vast majority of severe infections and could therefore assist in deciding whether to withhold empiric antibiotics after cautious clinical assessment.

Antibiotic Use before, during, and after Seeking Care for Acute Febrile Illness at a Hospital Outpatient Department: A Cross-Sectional Study from Rural India

Antibiotic resistance is a naturally occurring phenomenon, but the misuse and overuse of antibiotics is accelerating the process. This study aimed to quantify and compare antibiotic use before, during, and after seeking outpatient care for acute febrile illness in Ujjain, India. Data were collected through interviews with patients/patient attendants. The prevalence and choice of antibiotics is described by the WHO AWaRe categories and Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classes, comparing between age groups. Units of measurement include courses, encounters, and Defined Daily Doses (DDDs). The antibiotic prescription during the outpatient visit was also described in relation to the patients’ presumptive diagnosis. Of 1000 included patients, 31.1% (n = 311) received one antibiotic course, 8.1% (n = 81) two, 1.3% (n = 13) three, 0.4% (n = 4) four, 0.1% (n = 1) five, and the remaining 59.0% (n = 590) received no antibiotics. The leading contributors to the total antibiotic volume in the DDDs were macrolides (30.3%), combinations of penicillins, including β-lactamase inhibitors (18.8%), tetracyclines (14.8%), fluoroquinolones (14.6%), and third-generation cephalosporins (13.7%). ‘Watch’ antibiotics accounted for 72.3%, 52.7%, and 64.0% of encounters before, during, and after the outpatient visit, respectively. Acute viral illness accounted for almost half of the total DDDs at the outpatient visit (642.1/1425.3, 45.1%), for which the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic (261.3/642.1, 40.7%).

Use of WATCH antibiotics prior to presentation to the hospital in rural Burkina Faso

Background

In low- and middle-income countries, the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasing. To control AMR, WHO recommends monitoring antibiotic use, in particular Watch antibiotics. These are critically important antibiotics, with restricted use because at risk of becoming ineffective due to increasing AMR. We investigated pre-hospital antibiotic use in rural Burkina Faso.

Methods

During 2016–2017, we collected data from patients aged > 3 months presenting with severe acute fever to the rural hospital of Nanoro Health District, Burkina Faso, including antibiotic use in the two weeks prior to consultation or hospitalization. We analysed reported antibiotic use by applying the WHO Access, Watch, Reserve classification.

Results

Of 920 febrile participants (63.0% ≤ 14 years), pre-hospital antibiotic use was reported by 363 (39.5%). Among these 363, microbiological diagnoses were available for 275 (75.8%) patients, of whom 162 (58.9%) were non-bacterial infections. Use of more than one antibiotic was reported by 58/363 (16.0%) participants. Of 491 self-referred patients who did not previously visit a primary health care center, 131 (26.7%) reported antibiotic use. Of 424 antibiotics reported, 265 (62.5%) were Access and 159 (37.5%) Watch antibiotics. Watch antibiotic use was more frequent among patients > 14 year olds (51.1%) compared to those 0–14 year old (30.7%, p < 0.001) and among referrals from the primary health care centers (42.2%) compared to self-referred patients (28.1%, p = 0.004). Most frequently reported Watch antibiotics were ceftriaxone (114, 71.7%) and ciprofloxacin (32, 20.1%).

Conclusion

The reported frequent use of Watch group antibiotics among febrile patients prior to presentation to the hospital in rural Burkina Faso highlights the need to develop targeted interventions to improve antibiotic use in community settings as part of strengthening antibiotic stewardship in low- and middle-income countries. This should include facilitating referral, access to qualified prescribers and diagnostic tools in rural primary health care centers.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02669823. Registration date was February 1, 2016.

High Prevalence of Carbapenemase-Producing Acinetobacter baumannii in Wound Infections, Ghana, 2017/2018

Three years after a prospective study on wound infections in a rural hospital in Ghana revealed no emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria we initiated a new study to assess the prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Three hundred and one samples of patients with wound infections were analysed for the presence of resistant bacteria in the period August 2017 till March 2018. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter (A.) baumannii were further characterized by resistance gene sequencing, PCR-based bacterial strain typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST “Oxford scheme”). A. baumanni was detected in wound infections of 45 patients (15%); 22 isolates were carbapenem-resistant. Carbapenemases NDM-1 and/or OXA-23 were detected in all isolates; two isolates harboured additionally OXA-420. PFGE and MLST analyses confirmed the presence of one A. baumannii strain in 17 patients that was assigned to the worldwide spread sequence type ST231 and carried NDM-1 and OXA-23. Furthermore, two new A. baumannii STs (ST2145 and ST2146) were detected in two and three patients, respectively. Within three years the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii increased dramatically in the hospital. The early detection of multidrug-resistant bacteria and prevention of their further spread are only possible if continuous surveillance and molecular typing will be implemented.