@article{1391e0c9f83d4862b4ee0a6657105ac8,
title = "Stool cultures and antimicrobial prescriptions related to infectious diarrhea",
abstract = "Stool cultures can be important in guiding antimicrobial therapy for diarrhea. From among 11.64 million person-years of Tennessee Medicaid enrollment data collected from 1995 through 2004, 315,828 diarrheal episodes were identified. Stool cultures were performed for only 15,820 episodes (5.0%). Antimicrobials were prescribed for 32,949 episodes (10.4%), 89.4% of which were not accompanied by a stool culture. White race and urban residence were associated with higher rates of stool culture. Frequent use of antimicrobials for diarrhea without stool culture may indicate inappropriate antimicrobial use and has critical implications for public health.",
author = "Carpenter, {L. Rand} and Pont, {Stephen J.} and Cooper, {William O.} and Griffin, {Marie R.} and Dudley, {Judith A.} and Patrick Arbogast and William Schaffner and Jones, {Timothy F.}",
note = "Funding Information: Received 26 September 2007; accepted 31 December 2007; electronically published 21 April 2008. Potential conflicts of interest: none reported. Presented in part: 44th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Toronto, 12–15 October 2006 (poster 998). Financial support: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (training grant T32 HS 13833 to S.J.P.). The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reprints or correspondence: Dr. L. Rand Carpenter, Communicable and Environmental Disease Services, Tennessee Dept. of Health, 1st Fl., Cordell Hull Bldg., 425 5th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37243 (L.Rand.Carpenter@state.tn.us).",
year = "2008",
month = jun,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1086/588142",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "197",
pages = "1709--1712",
journal = "Journal of Infectious Diseases",
issn = "0022-1899",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "12",
}