title: Treating respiratory tract infections in ambulatory care in Belgium: fluoroquinolone consumption and resistance development.
abstract: This study analyses consumption patterns of fluoroquinolones in treating respiratory tract infections in ambulatory care in Belgium and describes susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates to fluoroquinolones. Consumption data were obtained from IMS Health. Pneumococcal resistance was investigated in 600 blood isolates collected from 1998 to 2003. Although consumption of fluoroquinolones has increased rapidly over the last decade, this trend does not seem to persist more recently. Fluoroquinolones were mainly used to treat urinary and lower respiratory tract infections, but rarely in the management of upper respiratory tract infections. The use of new fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin, moxifloxacin) and the ongoing use of older fluoroquinolones have not led to increased pneumococcal resistance, which remained below 1% for levofloxacin and was 0% for moxifloxacin.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Drug and Patient Information, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Edward van Evenstraat 4, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Steven.Simoens@pharm.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simoens
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verhaegen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laekeman
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Peetermans
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001530:Belgium; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004363:Drug Utilization; D024841:Fluoroquinolones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D024841:Fluoroquinolones