Mathematical basis for the assessment of antibiotic resistance and administrative counter-strategies

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238692
• Publication Date: 2020-09-03T17:30:22Z
• Authors: Hans H. Diebner; Anna Kather; Ingo Roeder; Katja de With
• Keywords: Consumption

Diversity as well temporal and spatial changes of the proportional abundances different antibiotics (cycling, mixing or combinations thereof) have been hypothesised to be an effective administrative control strategy in hospitals reduce prevalence antibiotic-resistant pathogens nosocomial community-acquired infections. However, a rigorous assessment efficacy these strategies is lacking. The main purpose here present mathematical framework for stategies from processual stance. To this end, we adopt diverse measures heterogeneity diversity based on concept entropy other fields adapt them needs assessing impact variations antibiotic consumption resistance. Thereby, derive family whose members exhibit degrees complexity. Most important, extent such that they account including otherwise undetected diversity-invariant permutations resistant pathogens. We apply correlation analysis associations between heterogeneities pathogen side. As showcase, which serves proof-of-principle, derived methods records germs University Hospital Dresden (cf. supplement "DiebnerEtAl_Data-Supplement"). Besides quantification resistance, show reduction correlates with change similarity respect first observation consumption, although remains approximately constant. Although interventional study pending, our turns out viable optimisation intended