[Update 01/10/2014: The third and last part of the surveys is now online. Please click here to access and fill the survey and scroll below to find links to parts 1 and 2.]

Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, which are prevalent in both hospital and community settings, impose tens of billions of dollars in avoidable health costs, while also causing unnecessary death and disability. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) s recent report on the threats of antibiotic resistance in the US estimated that, at a minimum, 2 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and that at least 23,000 people die each year due to such infections. The same report also highlighted that antibiotic resistance places an additional burden of $55 billion in direct and indirect costs on the US economy.

Especially pressing is the increased resistance to antibiotics in Gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria, which include species like E. coli, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia, cause a variety of infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients.

In a report published earlier this year, the CDC had warned that a group of Gram-negative bacterium known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has been acquiring significant resistance to carbapenems, which are used as the last-resort antibiotics. Due to the threat these bacteria posed, Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC s Director, labeled them as nightmare bacteria. These drug-resistant Gram-negative infections were also the subject of a recent PBS documentary titled, Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria. This documentary featured CDDEP Director, Ramanan Laxminarayan, who warned, When you have Gram-negative bacteria that also cannot be treated, there is no telling where these bugs can then move to.

Most studies indicate that one of the primary reasons for the increasing trend in antibiotic resistance is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. In order to evaluate how antibiotics are used in the treatment of drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria across the world, the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Antimicrobial Resistance working groups at the International Society of Chemotherapy have created a series of short surveys. By collecting the survey results, the groups will create a global inventory of antimicrobial stewardship initiatives that will be publicly accessible online. They further write that the goals of this project are to:

  • spotlight the work of individuals and organizations who promote good use of antimicrobials
  • develop an inventory of interested individuals and facilitate their interaction
  • help increase awareness and response to the issue of antimicrobial misuse and resistance

Part 1 of the survey, which was released about a month ago, saw participation of more than 400 people from different parts of the world. It is still accessible, along with Part 2 of the survey, and the links to both parts of the survey are provided below:

When you complete each survey, the system will redirect you to a page with the results and the opinions of international experts.

As an organization actively involved in research to maintain the efficacy of our antibiotics, we request our readers to participate in these surveys. Please also feel free to share them with anyone who you think may be interested.