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Global surveillance through PROTEKT: the first year.
1GR Micro Limited, London, UK. rn.gruneberg@grmicro.co.uk
Journal of Chemotherapy (Florence, Italy)
|November 7, 2002
Summary
Antimicrobial resistance in community-acquired respiratory tract infections is rising globally. The PROTEKT study highlights alarming resistance rates in Streptococcus pneumoniae and other key pathogens, necessitating updated surveillance for effective treatment.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens causing community-acquired respiratory tract infections (CARTIs) poses a significant global health threat.
- Effective empiric antimicrobial therapy relies on up-to-date surveillance data on local and regional resistance patterns.
- The Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology for the Ketolide Telithromycin (PROTEKT) study was initiated to address this surveillance gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the first year's global results from the PROTEKT surveillance study.
- To monitor the worldwide development of antimicrobial resistance in key CARTI pathogens.
- To disseminate timely resistance data to guide empiric antimicrobial therapy decisions.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal, global, multicenter surveillance study design.
- Inclusion of principal bacterial pathogens responsible for CARTIs, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis.
- Analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility data, including resistance to penicillin G, macrolides, tetracycline, co-trimoxazole, and beta-lactamase production.
Main Results:
- Globally, 36.3% of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates showed penicillin G resistance, with 68% in Asia.
- Macrolide resistance (31.2%) exceeded penicillin G resistance across all regions.
- High resistance rates were observed for tetracycline (30.5%) and co-trimoxazole (43.9%), with significant multidrug resistance.
- Telithromycin demonstrated potent in vitro activity against all tested organisms.
Conclusions:
- The first year of the PROTEKT study provides critical insights into the prevalence and geographic variation of antimicrobial resistance in CARTI pathogens.
- Alarming resistance trends underscore the urgent need for continuous, accurate surveillance to inform antimicrobial stewardship and treatment guidelines.
- Telithromycin shows promise as a potential agent for empiric therapy of CARTIs due to its broad in vitro activity.