Control Group Selection Is an Important but Neglected Issue in Studies of Antibiotic Resistance
Authors: Anthony D. Harris
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Letters6 June 2000Control Group Selection Is an Important but Neglected Issue in Studies of Antibiotic ResistanceAnthony D. Harris, MD, MPHAnthony D. Harris, MD, MPHUniversity of Maryland; Baltimore, MD 21201 (Harris)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-132-11-200006060-00024 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Methods of control group selection deserve greater scrutiny in studies of antibiotic resistance. Most case–control studies of antibiotic resistance use a sample of patients with susceptible organisms that are of the same species as those in the control group. For instance, patients with vancomycin-susceptible enterococci are frequently used as controls in studies of vancomycin-resistant enterococci.However, studies that use a control group with susceptible organisms violate epidemiologic principles of control group selection: Controls should be selected from the same source population or study base that gives rise to the cases. The base should be thought of as ...References1. Wacholder S, Silverman DT, McLaughlin JK, Mandel JS. Selection of controls in case–control studies. II. Types of controls. Am J Epidemiol. 1992;135:1029-41. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Rothman KJ, Greenland S. Case-control studies. In: Rothman KJ, Greenland S, eds. Modern Epidemiology. 2d ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott–Raven; 1998:93-115. Google Scholar3. Wacholder S, McLaughlin JK, Silverman DT, Mandel JS. Selection of controls in case–control studies. I. Principles. Am J Epidemiol. 1992;135:1019-28. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Maryland; Baltimore, MD 21201 (Harris) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThe Continuing Plague of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Producing Enterbacterales InfectionsThe Continuing Plague of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacteriaceae InfectionsThe Complex Epidemiology of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacter Infections: A Multicenter Descriptive AnalysisThe complex epidemiology of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing EnterobacteriaceaeAppropriate antimicrobial therapy in the era of multidrug-resistant human pathogensThe role of antimicrobial stewardship in curbing carbapenem resistanceFluconazole-Resistant Candida albicans VulvovaginitisClinical and molecular epidemiology of community-onset, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli infections in Thailand: A case-case-control studyUse of avilamycin for growth promotion and avilamycin-resistance among Enterococcus faecium from broilers in a matched case–control study in France"Collateral Damage" from Cephalosporin or Quinolone Antibiotic Therapy 6 June 2000Volume 132, Issue 11Page: 925KeywordsAntibiotic resistanceAntibioticsEpidemiologyFactor analysisMedical risk factorsPathogensRelative risk Issue Published: 6 June 2000 CopyrightCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...