Unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics to healthy/asymptomatic school-age carriers of potentially pathogenic bacteria.

Objectives: To re-draw attention to the unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics.

Methods: We monitored nasopharyngeal colonization by 3 potentially pathogenic bacteria, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae type b in 81 children between the ages of 6 and 7 years who attended the same primary school. The children's health status was also monitored, without using antimicrobial treatment for healthy/asymptomatic carriers.