The Global Point Prevalence Survey (Global-PPS) established an international network of hospitals to measure antimicrobial prescribing and resistance worldwide. We aimed to assess antimicrobial prescribing and resistance in hospital inpatients. We used a standardised surveillance method to collect detailed data about antimicrobial prescribing and resistance from hospitals worldwide, which were grouped by UN region. The internet-based survey included all inpatients (adults, children, and neonates) receiving an antimicrobial who were on the ward at 0800 h on one specific day between January and September, 2015. Hospitals were classified as primary, secondary, tertiary (including infectious diseases hospitals), and paediatric hospitals. Five main ward types were defined: medical wards, surgical wards, intensive-care units, haematology oncology wards, and medical transplantation (bone marrow or solid transplants) wards. Data recorded included patient characteristics, antimicrobials received, diagnosis, therapeutic indication according to predefined lists, and markers of prescribing quality (eg, whether a stop or review date were recorded, and whether local prescribing guidelines existed and were adhered to). We report findings for adult inpatients. The Global-PPS for 2015 included adult data from 303 hospitals in 53 countries, including eight lower-middle-income and 17 upper-middle-income countries. 86 776 inpatients were admitted to 3315 adult wards, of whom 29 891 (34·4%) received at least one antimicrobial. 41 213 antimicrobial prescriptions were issued, of which 36 792 (89·3%) were antibacterial agents for systemic use. The top three antibiotics prescribed worldwide were penicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors, third-generation cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones. Carbapenems were most frequently prescribed in Latin America and west and central Asia. Of patients who received at least one antimicrobial, 5926 (19·8%) received a targeted antibacterial treatment for systemic use, and 1769 (5·9%) received a treatment targeting at least one multidrug-resistant organism. The frequency of health-care-associated infections was highest in Latin America (1518 [11·9%]) and east and south Asia (5363 [10·1%]). Overall, the reason for treatment was recorded in 31 694 (76·9%) of antimicrobial prescriptions, and a stop or review date in 15 778 (38·3%). Local antibiotic guidelines were missing for 7050 (19·2%) of the 36 792 antibiotic prescriptions, and guideline compliance was 77·4%. The Global-PPS showed that worldwide surveillance can be accomplished with voluntary participation. It provided quantifiable measures to assess and compare the quantity and quality of antibiotic prescribing and resistance in hospital patients worldwide. These data will help to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing through education and practice changes, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries that have no tools to monitor antibiotic prescribing in hospitals. bioMérieux.

Objective.: To determine risk factors for bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae producing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) or K. pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs), as well as risk factors for mortality associated with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae, among intensive care unit (ICU) patients.Methods.: Two case-control studies were conducted in a patient cohort with K. pneumoniae BSIs in an 8-bed ICU in a Greek hospital from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2008. In study 1, patients with K. pneumoniae BSIs were allocated among 3 groups according to isolate susceptibility profile: (1) carbapenem-susceptible insolates (control group), (2) MBL-producing isolates, or (3) KPC-producing isolates. The MBL and KPC groups were compared with the control group to identify risk factors for development of K. pneumoniae BSI. In study 2, patients with K. pneumoniae BSIs who died were compared with survivors to identify risk factors for mortality.Results.: Fifty-nine patients had K. pneumoniae BSIs (22 with carbapenem-susceptible isolates, 18 with MBL-producing isolates, and 19 with KPC-producing isolates). All KPC-producing isolates carried the bla_KPC-2 gene, and 17 of 18 MBL-producing isolates carried bla_VIM-1 Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (odds ratio, 1.13 [95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.25]; P = .02) was independently associated with KPC-producing K. pneumoniae BSIs. Nine (41%) of 22 control patients, 8 (44%) of 18 MBL group patients, and 13 (68%) of 19 KPC group patients died in the ICU. Nine (41%) of 22 control patients, 10 (56%) of 18 MBL group patients, and 15 (79%) of 19 KPC group patients died in the hospital. Isolation of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae was an independent predictor of ICU death (P = .04) and in-hospital death (P = .03) but not infection-attributable death.Conclusions.: BSIs due to KPC-producing K. pneumoniae resulted in significantly increased mortality. The accurate and rapid detection of these pathogens is necessary for therapeutic considerations and for the implementation of infection control measures to contain them.

Objective To gain an understanding of the variation in available resources and clinical practices between neonatal units (NNUs) in the low-income and middle-income country (LMIC) setting to inform the design of an observational study on the burden of unit-level antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Design A web-based survey using a REDCap database was circulated to NNUs participating in the Neonatal AMR research network. The survey included questions about NNU funding structure, size, admission rates, access to supportive therapies, empirical antimicrobial guidelines and period prevalence of neonatal blood culture isolates and their resistance patterns. Setting 39 NNUs from 12 countries. Patients Any neonate admitted to one of the participating NNUs. Interventions This was an observational cohort study. Results The number of live births per unit ranged from 513 to 27 700 over the 12-month study period, with the number of neonatal cots ranging from 12 to 110. The proportion of preterm admissions <32 weeks ranged from 0% to 19%, and the majority of units (26/39, 66%) use Essential Medicines List ‘Access’ antimicrobials as their first-line treatment in neonatal sepsis. Cephalosporin resistance rates in Gram-negative isolates ranged from 26% to 84%, and carbapenem resistance rates ranged from 0% to 81%. Glycopeptide resistance rates among Gram-positive isolates ranged from 0% to 45%. Conclusion AMR is already a significant issue in NNUs worldwide. The apparent burden of AMR in a given NNU in the LMIC setting can be influenced by a range of factors which will vary substantially between NNUs. These variations must be considered when designing interventions to improve neonatal mortality globally.