Antibiotic Choices in an Outpatient Community with Acquired Respiratory Tract Infections in Turkey/Turkiye'de Ayaktan Tedavi Edilen Toplum Kokenli Solunum Yolu Infeksiyonlarinda Antibiyotik Secenekleri (Respiratory INFECTIONS/SOLUNUM SISTEMI Infeksiyonlari) (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Community acquired acute bacterial respiratory infections in adults are among the most frequent reasons for daily patient visits to clinicians in Turkey [1], which is a large, heavily-populated country at the intersection [point] of Europe and Asia. Acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) and acute otitis media (AOM), which are usually self-limited diseases, are among the commonest forms of respiratory pathologies. Unfortunately, neither the clinical features nor the diagnostic tools available are sensitive enough to allow the [practicing] physician to make a diagnosis of a bacterial infection with accuracy in these pathologies. This is the main reason for unnecessary antibiotic prescribing and its negative consequences of development of resistance, increased toxicity and increased costs. On the other hand, untreated patients with ABS and AOM have bothersome morbidity and are at risk of developing intracranial and orbital complications and [of] possibly developing chronic sequela [2,3]. Another respiratory infection, community acquired pneumonia (CAP), was historically accepted by Sir William Osler who, in the 1901 edition of his book The Principles and Practice of Medicine, described it as "the most widespread and fatal of all acute diseases" [4]. The majority of CAP patients are treated as outpatients. In fact, the causative agents in CAP are generally very similar to ABS and AOM, and emerging antibiotic resistance in respiratory tract pathogens has long been an important topic for the healthcare community. With the evolving challenges of antibiotic resistance, the treatment of respiratory tract infections is not as straightforward as it has been in the past.