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

Letters18 July 2000Control Group Selection Is an Important but Neglected Issue in Studies of Antibiotic ResistanceAnthony D. Harris, MD, MPH, Matthew H. Samore, MD, and Yehuda Carmeli, MD, MScAnthony D. Harris, MD, MPHUniversity of Maryland; Baltimore, MD 21201 (Harris, Samore, Carmeli), Matthew H. Samore, MDUniversity of Maryland; Baltimore, MD 21201 (Harris, Samore, Carmeli), and Yehuda Carmeli, MD, MScUniversity of Maryland; Baltimore, MD 21201 (Harris, Samore, Carmeli)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-133-2-200007180-00018 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, Samore, Carmeli)Note: This letter was originally published in the 6 June 2000 issue with an incomplete author list. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThe Clinical and Molecular Epidemiology of Noncarbapenemase-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae: A Case-Case-Control Matched AnalysisMethods and issues in studies of CREEpidemiological factors associated with ESBL- and non ESBL-producing E. coli causing urinary tract infection in general practiceRisk factors for the acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli at a tertiary care center in South Korea: A matched case-control studyA Multicenter Case-Case Control Study for Risk Factors and Outcomes of Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii BacteremiaRisk Factors and Molecular Epidemiology of Community-Onset Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli BacteremiaThe role of antimicrobial stewardship in curbing carbapenem resistanceRisk factors for extreme-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in patients with hematologic malignanciesCarbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is associated with poor outcome in hemodialysis patientsTreatment with Fluoroquinolones or with β-Lactam-β-Lactamase Inhibitor Combinations Is a Risk Factor for Isolation of Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella Species in Hospitalized PatientsLiposuction and ObesityIsolation of Imipenem-Resistant Enterobacter Species: Emergence of KPC-2 Carbapenemase, Molecular Characterization, Epidemiology, and OutcomesThe effect of control group selection in the analysis of risk factors for extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infections. A prospective controlled studyInadequate treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia: risk factors and impact on outcomesImportance of Control Group Selection for Evaluating Antimicrobial Use as a Risk Factor for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus BacteremiaThe Magnitude of the Association between Fluoroquinolone Use and Quinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae May Be Lower than Previously ReportedFluoroquinolones and the Risk for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hospitalized Patients1Epidemiological Risk Factors for Isolation of Ceftriaxone-Resistant versus -Susceptible Citrobacter freundii in Hospitalized PatientsEffects of intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis for prevention of group-B-streptococcal disease on the incidence and ecology of early-onset neonatal sepsisAntecedent Treatment with Different Antibiotic Agents as a Risk Factor for Vancomycin-Resistant EnterococcusControl‐Group Selection Importance in Studies of Antimicrobial Resistance: Examples Applied to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococci, and Escherichia coliAntimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance: A Population Perspective 18 July 2000Volume 133, Issue 2Page: 159KeywordsAntibiotic resistanceAntibioticsEpidemiologyFactor analysisMedical risk factorsPathogensRelative risk Issue Published: 18 July 2000 CopyrightCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...