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Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
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A call to arms: the imperative for antimicrobial stewardship

John G Bartlett1

  • 1Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. jb@jhmi.edu

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|July 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health threat, driven by drug misuse. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are crucial for preserving existing antibiotics against resistant pathogens like MRSA and CRE.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global public health crisis.
  • Increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) like MRSA, CRE, and fluoroquinolone-resistant C. difficile strains nationwide.
  • Well-established link between antimicrobial use/misuse and the development of resistant pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the escalating crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
  • To emphasize the need for strategies to preserve existing antimicrobial effectiveness.
  • To introduce antimicrobial stewardship programs as a key solution.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current trends in antimicrobial resistance.
  • Analysis of the causal relationship between antimicrobial usage and resistance.
  • Discussion of the decline in new antimicrobial agent development.

Main Results:

  • Nationwide increase in drug-resistant organisms.
  • Identification of antimicrobial use and misuse as primary drivers of resistance.
  • Limited pipeline for new antimicrobial drugs.

Conclusions:

  • Antimicrobial stewardship programs are essential for all medical specialties and public health services.
  • These programs aim to preserve the effectiveness of current antimicrobials.
  • Stewardship strategies have the potential to minimize the emergence of resistant pathogens.

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