Antibiotic guidelines

Osteomyelitis

• Principles of managing osteomyelitis
• Long-bone osteomyelitis in adults
• Mandibular osteomyelitis in adults and children
• Vertebral osteomyelitis in adults
• Osteomyelitis in children

Septic arthritis of a native joint

• Principles of managing native joint septic arthritis
• Empirical therapy for native joint septic arthritis
• Postprocedural infections of the shoulder

Bone and joint infections other than osteomyelitis and native joint septic arthritis

• Septic bursitis
• Spinal epidural abscess

Sepsis or septic shock associated with a bone or joint source

Directed therapy for native bone or joint infection

• Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) native bone or joint infection
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) native bone or joint infection
• Kingella kingae native bone or joint infection
• Native bone or joint infection caused by other pathogens

Infective endocarditis

• Principles of managing infective endocarditis
• Empirical therapy for infective endocarditis
• Staphylococcal endocarditis
• Streptococcal endocarditis
• Enterococcal endocarditis
• Endocarditis caused by the HACEK group
• Endocarditis caused by Abiotrophia and Granulicatella species
• Endocarditis caused by other organisms
• Culture-negative endocarditis

Cardiovascular system infections other than endocarditis

• Cardiac implantable electronic device infections
• Infected aneurysms
• Infections associated with intravenous catheters
• Vascular graft and stent infections

Central nervous system infections

• Clinical presentation and initial management of meningitis
• Meningitis in adults and children 2 months or older
• Meningitis in neonates and children younger than 2 months
• Directed therapy for meningitis
• Brain abscess and subdural empyema
• Encephalitis

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Cryptococcosis
Infectious diarrhoea

• Assessment of infectious diarrhoea
• Management of infectious diarrhoea
• Travellers’ diarrhoea
• Outbreaks of diarrhoea in residential aged-care facilities
• Blastocystis species carriage
• Campylobacter enteritis
• Clostridioides difficile infection
• Cryptosporidium species infection (cryptosporidiosis)
• Cyclospora cayetanensis infection (cyclosporiasis)
• Cystoisospora belli infection (cystoisosporiasis)
• Dientamoeba fragilis carriage
• Entamoeba histolytica infection (amoebiasis)
• Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli enteritis
• Giardia duodenalis infection (giardiasis)
• Microsporidial infection
• Salmonella enteritis
• Shigella enteritis (shigellosis)
• Vibrio cholerae infection (cholera)
• Noncholera Vibrio species causing enteritis
• Yersinia enterocolitis
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea

Ear, nose and throat infections

• Cervical lymphadenitis
• Acute epiglottitis
• Epstein–Barr virus infection
• Acute laryngitis
• Acute mastoiditis in children
• Otitis externa
• Otitis media
• Peritonsillar abscess and cellulitis
• Pertussis
• Retropharyngeal abscess
• Acute rhinosinusitis
• Oral and oropharyngeal infection caused by Candida and related species
• Angular cheilitis

Eye infections

• Blepharitis
• Chalazion (meibomian cyst) and hordeolum (stye)
• Conjunctivitis
• Corneal abrasion and foreign bodies
• Dacryocystitis
• Endophthalmitis
• Epiphora
• Infectious keratitis
• Periorbital (preseptal) and orbital (postseptal) cellulitis

Genital and sexually transmitted infections

• Principles of sexually transmissible infection (STI) management
• Adult sexual assault
• Approach to Chlamydia trachomatis infection
• Approach to Mycoplasma genitalium infection
• Approach to Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection
• Approach to trichomoniasis
• Cervicitis
• Epididymo-orchitis
• Genital itch
• Genital ulcer disease
• Genital herpes
• Genital warts (human papillomavirus infection)
• Pelvic actinomycosis
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Postprocedural pelvic infection
• Infective proctitis
• Syphilis
• Urethritis
• Prepubertal vulvovaginitis
• Vulvovaginitis caused by Candida and related species in adults
• Bacterial vaginosis in adults

Human immunodeficiency virus

• Principles of managing HIV infection
• Initial antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection in adults
• HIV infection in pregnancy
• Neonatal antiretroviral postexposure prophylaxis against HIV
• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV

Intra-abdominal infections

• Approach to managing intra-abdominal infections
• Acute appendicitis
• Acute cholangitis
• Acute cholecystitis
• Acute infected pancreatitis
• Diverticulitis
• Peritonitis due to perforated viscus
• Sepsis and septic shock from a biliary or gastrointestinal tract source
• Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
• Peritonitis complicating peritoneal dialysis
• Liver abscess

Mediastinitis
Mpox (monkeypox)
Parasitic infections

• Gastrointestinal protozoal parasites

Prevention of infection

• Clearance antibiotics for invasive meningococcal or Hib disease
• Prevention of infection in patients with asplenia or hyposplenism
• Postexposure prophylaxis against bloodborne viruses
• Prevention of infection in patients with cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding
• Prevention of invasive group A streptococcal infection

Pneumonia

• Finding the right pneumonia topic in these guidelines
• Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults
• Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children 2 months or older
• Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in term neonates and children younger than 2 months
• Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in residents of an aged-care facility
• Hospital-acquired pneumonia
• Ventilator-associated pneumonia
• Aspiration pneumonia

Directed therapy for pneumonia

• Directed therapy for pneumonia
• Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia in adults
• Enterobacterales pneumonia
• Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia
• Legionella pneumonia in adults
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia or Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) species pneumonia
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia
• Staphylococcus aureus (staphylococcal) pneumonia
• Stenotrophomonas maltophilia pneumonia
• Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal) pneumonia
• Overview of fungal pneumonia
• Aspergillosis
• Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP)

Respiratory tract infections other than pneumonia

• Antibiotic management of bronchiectasis in adults
• Acute bronchitis
• Protracted bacterial bronchitis in children
• Antibiotic management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations
• Influenza
• Lung abscess
• Parapneumonic effusion and thoracic empyema

Salivary gland infections Sepsis and septic shock: Identification and initial management

• Principles of managing sepsis and septic shock
• Identifying sepsis or septic shock

Sepsis and septic shock: Empirical regimens

• Choice of empirical antibiotic regimen for sepsis or septic shock
• Community-acquired sepsis or septic shock of unknown source in adults
• Hospital-acquired sepsis or septic shock of unknown source in adults
• Community-acquired sepsis or septic shock of unknown source in children 2 months or older
• Hospital-acquired sepsis or septic shock of unknown source in children 2 months or older
• Sepsis or septic shock of unknown source in neonates and children younger than 2 months

Directed therapy for bloodstream infections, including sepsis and septic shock

• Modifying empirical therapy for bloodstream infections when the pathogen is identified
• Candidaemia (including Candida and related species sepsis)
• Enterobacterales (including E. coli and K. pneumoniae) bloodstream infections, including sepsis and septic shock
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections, including sepsis and septic shock
• Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, including sepsis and septic shock
• Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal) bloodstream infections, including sepsis and septic shock
• Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) bloodstream infections, including sepsis, septic shock and toxic shock syndrome
• Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers (Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi A, B and C infection)

Skin and soft tissue infections

• Boils and carbuncles
• Cellulitis and erysipelas
• Chickenpox (varicella)
• Infections of chronic ulcers and wounds
• Infections of diabetes-related foot ulcers
• Impetigo
• Necrotising skin and soft tissue infections
• Recurrent staphylococcal skin infection
• Shingles (herpes zoster)
• Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome

Urinary tract infections in adults

• Antibiotic choice for urinary tract infection (UTI) in adults
• Acute cystitis in adults
• Acute pyelonephritis in adults
• Sepsis and septic shock from a urinary tract source in adults
• Treatment and prevention of recurrent UTI in nonpregnant adults
• Urinary tract infection and bacteriuria in pregnancy
• Urinary tract infection in residents of an aged-care facility
• Asymptomatic bacteriuria in nonpregnant adults
• Catheter-associated bacteriuria and UTI in adults
• Bacteriuria and UTI in adults with urinary stents
• Candiduria and UTI caused by Candida and related species in adults
• Acute bacterial prostatitis
• Chronic bacterial prostatitis

Urinary tract infections in children

• Overview of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children
• Acute cystitis in children
• Acute pyelonephritis in children
• Sepsis and septic shock from a urinary tract source in children
• Prevention of UTI in children
• Catheter-associated bacteriuria and UTI in children
• Candiduria and UTI caused by Candida and related species in children

Identifying resistant pathogens or Candida species

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Principles of antimicrobial use

• Principles of appropriate antimicrobial prescribing
• Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) Practical information on using antimicrobial drugs

• Practical information on using antibacterial drugs
• Practical information on using antifungal drugs
• Practical information on using anthelmintic drugs
• Practical information on using antimycobacterial drugs
• Practical information on using antiprotozoal drugs
• Practical information on using antiviral drugs
• Practical information on using beta lactams

Principles of aminoglycoside use

• Principles of aminoglycoside use
• Aminoglycoside dosing and administration
• Monitoring aminoglycoside plasma concentrations
• Clinical monitoring for aminoglycoside toxicity
• Aminoglycoside use in special patient groups

Vancomycin use in adults

• Principles of vancomycin use in adults
• Vancomycin administration advice
• Approach to vancomycin dosing and monitoring in adults
• Vancomycin dosing in adults
• Vancomycin monitoring and dosage adjustment in adults

Monitoring antimicrobial blood concentrations
Ambulatory antimicrobial therapy
Antimicrobial hypersensitivity

• Overview and definition of antimicrobial hypersensitivity
• Principles of assessing patients reporting antimicrobial hypersensitivity
• Principles of antimicrobial desensitisation
• Penicillin hypersensitivity
• Trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole hypersensitivity in adults

Kidney impairment and antimicrobial dosing

• Principles of antimicrobial dosing in kidney impairment
• Antimicrobial dosage modification in kidney impairment

Note: new topics are listed in order of appearance in the Antibiotic Guidelines table of contents.

• Osteomyelitis complicating sacral pressure ulcers in adults
• Sternal osteomyelitis complicating median sternotomy in adults
• Bone and joint infections of the hand
• Iliopsoas abscess
• Septic jugular thrombophlebitis
• Postexposure prophylaxis against STIs
• Necrotising enterocolitis in neonates
• Selective decontamination of the digestive tract in patients on invasive mechanical ventilation
• Antibiotic management of bronchiectasis in children
• Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus) bloodstream infections, including sepsis and septic shock
• Managing suspected infection with a multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacterium
• Urinary tract infection in neonates and children younger than 3 months
• Empirical treatment for invasive Candida infection
• Principles of obtaining blood for culture
• Interpreting microbiological testing results
• Vancomycin dosing, monitoring and dosage adjustment in adults undergoing dialysis
• Vancomycin use in young infants and children
  • Principles of vancomycin use in young infants and children
  • Intermittent vancomycin dosing in young infants and children
  • Vancomycin continuous infusion dosing in young infants and children
  • Vancomycin monitoring and dosage adjustment in young infants and children