Retrospective surveillance of antibiotic use in maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Antibiotic overuse in infants is associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events. Development of antibiotic stewardship programs aimed at reducing overall antibiotic consumption requires epidemiological surveillance. Retrospective surveillance and evaluation of all antibiotics provided to every infant admitted to maternal wards or neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) from 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 were performed in five medical centers of Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Emergence of carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The emergence and spread of carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria represents a serious public health concern. Here we show that of 477 Gram-negative isolates collected from 18 hospitals between November 2011 and February 2013 in Saint Petersburg (Russia), minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were greater than the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) epidemiological cut-off value of at least one carbapenem antibiotic in 101 isolates (21.2%).