1. PREVENTING INFECTIONS, PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF
RESISTANCE
Preventing infections from developing reduces the amount of antibiotics used. This
reduction in antibiotic use, in turn, slows the pace of antibiotic resistance. Preventing
infections also prevents the spread of resistant bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant infections
can be prevented in many ways. This section focuses on CDC’s works to prevent
antibiotic-resistant infections in healthcare settings, in the community, and in food.
CDC’s Work to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance in the Community
Antibiotic-resistant infections outside of the hospital setting were rare until recently.
Today, resistant infections that can be transmitted in the community include
tuberculosis and respiratory infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, skin
infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and sexually
transmitted infections such as gonorrhea.
CDC works to prevent antibiotic resistance in the community by providing systems to
track infections and changes in resistance; improving prescribing at national, regional,
and local levels; and limiting or interrupting the spread of infections. These activities
are similar to the strategies used in medical settings, but the approach can differ because
the population (potentially everyone) is large and the settings are different. Here are
some examples of the strategies CDC uses to prevent antibiotic resistance in
communities:
Tracking Community Infections and Resistance
These programs are examples of CDC’s effort to identify critical infections in the
community and monitor resistance trends.
- Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs): Tracking infections caused by
Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Groups A and B
Streptococcus, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP): Collecting isolates from
gonorrhea infections to monitor antibiotic resistance - National Tuberculosis Surveillance System (NTSS): National Electronic
Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS)-based reporting of tuberculosis cases
including resistance data - Healthcare-Associated Infections-Community Interface (HAIC): Tracking
infections with C. difficile and with multidrug-resistant gram-negative
microorganisms.
Improving Antibiotic Prescribing