An Australian perspective on antimicrobial stewardship programs and transplantation

Over 1000 solid-organ and close to 2000 stem-cell transplants are performed annually in Australia.

Antimicrobial stewardship activities in transplant units in Australia were reviewed.

All health service organizations, and thus all transplant centers, in Australia are required to have an antimicrobial stewardship program. Despite this, in one recent survey, 23.5% of hospital antibiotic prescriptions were inappropriate. Vigorous efforts are being made to implement antifungal stewardship in Australian transplant programs, with guidelines for implementation published in December 2021. These guidelines include therapeutic antifungal drug monitoring and diagnostic stewardship as it pertains to the investigation of suspected invasive fungal infections.

Infections with multidrug resistant pathogens and invasive fungi are sporadic issues in Australian transplant units, but stewardship efforts can optimize patient outcomes.