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The rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a major public health threat. In a systematic review and meta-analysis, investigators examined the associations between exposure to antibiotics that are prescribed commonly by primary care clinicians and subsequent bacterial resistance to those antibiotics at the individual-patient level.
In five studies that involved more than 14,000 participants with urinary tract bacterial infections, the odds of bacterial resistance were greater in patients who were exposed to antibiotics than in unexposed patients. The association was strongest within 1 month of antibiotic exposure; it diminished thereafter but remained significant for 12 months (odds ratios: 4.4 within 1 month, 2.5 within 3 mont…