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Topical antibiotic agents overused in prison population

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Inmates entering maximum-security correctional facilities in New York overuse topical antibiotic agents, according to research presented at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

“Many of the reported reasons for using topical antibiotics were not consistent with recommended uses,” study researcher Carolyn Herzig, MS, a PhD candidate at Columbia University, told Infectious Disease News. “The inmates reported using topical antibiotics for dry skin, as lip balm, as hair grease and for shaving purposes.”

Herzig and colleagues conducted the study, which included 421 men entering a male maximum-security prison and 401 women entering a female maximum-security prison. The researchers conducted interviews using structured questionnaires, and also collected anterior nares and oropharyngeal samples from the prisoners.

Carolyn Herzig

The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus was 59% in the men’s prison and 50% in the women’s prison. Data from self-reports showed that 16% of inmates entering the men’s prison and 38% of the inmates entering the women’s prison used oral antibiotics in the past 6 months. In addition, 23% of inmates entering the men’s prison and 28% of inmates entering the women’s prison reported using a topical antibiotic in the past six months.

Men who were colonized with S. aureus were significantly less likely to have reported using oral antibiotics in the previous 6 months. S. aureus colonization was not associated with topical antibiotic use at either facility. The researchers found that, among inmates who reported using topical antibiotics, 59% of men and 40% of women used them inappropriately.

“The data suggest that there is a need to educate inmates about the appropriate uses of topical antibiotics and that alternative products, such as lotion and ointments that do not contain antibiotics, should be made readily available to inmates,” Herzig said. “Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens are a problem in prisons and the misuse of antibiotics in these facilities might exacerbate this issue.”

References:

Herzig C. #100. Presented at: 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology; June 4-6, 2012; San Antonio.

Disclosures:

Ms. Herzig reports no relevant financial disclosures.