2026 Volume 41 Issue 2 Pages 83-88
In recent years, the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents has become important for controlling drug-resistant bacteria. Therefore, proactive efforts have been made at Minoh city hospital to switch to oral antibiotics. However, because the number of oral antibiotics effective against extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria is limited, we decided to add oral antibiotic susceptibility testing using the disk method for ESBL-producing bacteria in blood culture-positive specimens. A study of 113 cases over a 5-year period reported that oral switching was performed in 44.2% (50/113) of the cases, 52% (26/50) of which involved changes to oral antibiotics based on the results of the disk test. When comparing the intravenous group and the oral switch group, there was no significant difference in relapse or death within 90 days after treatment (p = 0.4922, p = 0.2328), and the length of hospital stay was significantly shortened in the oral switch group (p = 0.001). These results indicate that drug susceptibility testing using the disk method is effective for increasing the options for oral antibacterial agents and for promoting oral switching.
