Antimicrobial Stewardship in Neonatal Intensive Care
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics Use and Antimicrobial Stewardship".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: sepsis; newborn; intensive care; biomarkers; antimicrobial stewardship; antibiotic therapy in pediatric infectious diseases
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sepsis is currently one of the main morbidities among newborns, and it is accompanied by a high mortality rate and long-term sequelae. Antimicrobial stewardship in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit aims to increase the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment, reduce the risk of undesired events related to excessive or inappropriate exposure to antimicrobials, and prevent antimicrobial resistance. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria has been increasing in Neonatal Intensive Care Units worldwide. However, there are currently no internationally recognized antimicrobial stewardship programs specifically targeted towards the neonatal population, and wide variations in clinical practice are reported.
The aim of this Special Issue is to gather evidence about antimicrobial stewardship strategies in neonatal intensive care and to highlight groundbreaking research in this field. In particular, we are seeking manuscripts that address different aspects of appropriate antimicrobials use, including (but not limited to) strategic empirical treatment of early- and late-onset sepsis in different epidemiological settings; the contributions of molecular diagnostic techniques; stopping rules in term and preterm infants; the duration of antimicrobial treatment; antimicrobials administration modes; strategies for antimicrobial dose optimization; and active microbiological surveillance in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Submissions focusing on peculiar aspects of neonatology, such as extended/continuous infusion of antimicrobials and therapeutic drug monitoring, are particularly encouraged.
Dr. Chiara Poggi
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- neonatal sepsis
- early onset sepsis
- late onset sepsis
- preterm
- antimicrobial stewardship
- neonatal intensive care
- molecular diagnosis
- stopping rule
- therapeutic drug monitoring
- extended antimicrobial infusion
- continuous antimicrobial infusion
- microbiological surveillance
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