ReviewJournal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics2019
Topical (local) antibiotics for respiratory infections with sore throat: An antibiotic stewardship perspective.
Review in Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Management of Acute Sore Throat in Community Pharmacies: Insights from a Survey of Italian Pharmacists.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Enhancing antimicrobial stewardship and health literacy in Europe - moving forward through education and empowerment.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Over-the-counter antibiotics compromising aminoglycoside activity.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Healthcare Students' Knowledge on Antibiotic Use, Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs and Associated Factors in a Tertiary University in Ghana: Findings and Implications.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Creating Robust Antimicrobial Materials with Sticky Tyrocidines.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Understanding of Future Prescribers About Antimicrobial Resistance and Their Preparedness Towards Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities in Pakistan: Findings and Implications.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- The microbiome-shaping roles of bacteriocins.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2021Review
- The COVID-19 pandemic: a threat to antimicrobial resistance containment.Future science OA · 2021Review
- Peaks in online inquiries into pharyngitis-related symptoms correspond with annual incidence rates.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2021Article
- Zinc and SARS‑CoV‑2: A molecular modeling study of Zn interactions with RNA‑dependent RNA‑polymerase and 3C‑like proteinase enzymes.International journal of molecular medicine · 2021Article
- Pain Symptoms in Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): A Literature Review.Journal of pain research · 2021Review
- Review
- Topical (local) antibiotics for respiratory infections with sore throat: An antibiotic stewardship perspective.Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics · 2019Review
- Prevalence of antibiotic misuse in cases of pneumonia and diarrhea in Saudi Arabia.Drug target insightsArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
WHAT IS KNOWN AND
objectiveThe overuse and misuse of antibiotics, especially for viral, and self-limiting, respiratory tract infections such as sore throat, increases the risk of the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance within communities. Up to 80% of sore throat cases have a viral aetiology, and even when the infection is bacterial, most cases resolve without antibiotics. However, antibiotics are still frequently and often inappropriately prescribed for the treatment of sore throat. Furthermore, topical (local) antibiotics for treatment of sore throat are widely available over the counter. The objective of this systematic review was to establish the evidence for the benefits, risk of harm and antimicrobial resistance associated with topical (local) antibiotics used for patients with sore throat.
methodsEligible studies included those in patients with sore throat of any aetiology receiving the topical (local) antibiotics tyrothricin, bacitracin, gramicidin or neomycin where the antibiotic was topically/locally applied via the nasal cavity or throat. Nasal applications were included as these are occasionally used to treat upper respiratory tract infections that may involve sore throat. There was no restriction or requirement regarding comparator. The outcomes of interest included efficacy, safety, and in vitro culture and antimicrobial resistance data. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This systematic review found sparse and mainly poor-quality evidence relating to the use of topical (local) antibiotics for sore throat, and it was not possible to establish the benefits, risk of harm or impact of use on antimicrobial resistance. WHAT IS NEW AND
conclusionsFurther research is necessary to ascertain the risks and benefits of topical (local) antibiotics, their contribution to antimicrobial resistance and the risk of harm. We do, however, question whether it is appropriate and rational to use topical (local) antibiotics for the treatment of sore throat caused by respiratory tract infections in the absence of robust evidence.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.