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Fear of infection in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) often leads to early use of empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics, a strategy that selects for resistant bacteria. We investigated whether the emergence of resistant strains could be halted by modifying the empiric antibiotic regimens to remove the selective pressure that favours resistant bacteria.

Two identical NICUs were assigned to different empiric antibiotic regimens. On unit A, penicillin G and tobramycin were used for early-onset septicaemia, flucloxacillin and tobramycin were used for late-onset septicaemia, and no broad-spectrum β-lactam antibiotics, such as amoxicillin and cefotaxime were used. In unit B, intravenous amoxicillin with cefotaxime was the empiric therapy. After 6 months of the study the units exchanged regimens. Rectal and respiratory cultures were taken on a weekly basis.

There were 436 admissions, divided …