Dutch doctors prescribe the fewest antibiotics in Europe and French doctors the most, according to a Belgian study into use of the medication published Friday in the British medical journal The Lancet. The study, led by Herman Goossens of the University of Antwerp, found that overuse of antibiotics was exacerbating the occurrence of drug resistant bacteria in southern and eastern Europe. The team compared antibiotic use and resistance rates in 26 European countries from 1997 to 2003. Antibiotic use was generally lowest in northern European countries, greater in eastern regions and highest in the south, the team found. There was also less seasonal variation of prescription levels in northern Europe. The team related their findings to the more common occurrence of infection by bacteria resistant to antibiotics in southern and eastern Europe. "The ethics of promoting antibiotics in clinical situations in which they are unnecessary should be given serious consideration," Goossens said. He called for "effective professional and public strategies to encourage appropriate prescribing of antibiotics". And Goossens issued a dire warning. "If not, we will lose the miracle drugs of the 20th century."
