A new report, published by Public Health Wales, indicates an increase in antibacterial resistance across 3 most common bloodstream infections in Wales in 2017.
Antimicrobial resistance is a growing cause of concern in Wales and has already resulted in a few difficult-to-treat infections. Although empirical therapy is typically started before determining antimicrobial susceptibilities, the selection of an appropriate antibiotic has become challenging owing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
According to the 'Antibacterial Resistance In Wales 2008-2017' report, there was a substantial rise in Escherichia coli resistance to co-amoxiclav and piperacillin/tazobactam in 2017. The trend of increasing resistance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus against fusidic acid, gentamicin and tetracycline remained. Resistance of Klebsiella spp. to most antibacterials had also increased in 2017 compared to the previous year. The Welsh guidelines no longer recommend trimethoprim for treating urinary tract infections in individuals aged ≥65 years as trimethoprim resistance is known to rise with increasing age.
Antibacterial resistance rates in Wales are, however, comparable to the aggregated rates and trends for the United Kingdom, with variability across areas and hospitals.