European Antibiotic Awareness Day, 2008 - the first Europe-wide public information campaign on prudent antibiotic use: methods and survey of activities in participating countries.

Antibiotic resistance is a major European and global public health problem and is, for a large part, driven by misuse of antibiotics. Hence, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use, particularly for the treatment of certain respiratory tract infections where they are not needed, is a public health priority. The success of national awareness campaigns to educate the public and primary care prescribers about appropriate antibiotic use in Belgium and France stimulated a European initiative coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and named European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD), to take place each year on 18 November. Specific campaign materials, including key messages, logos, slogans and a media toolkit, were developed and made available for use in European countries. The focus of the first EAAD campaign was about not taking antibiotics for viral infections such as colds and flu. A post-campaign survey was conducted in January 2009. Thirty-two European countries participated in the first EAAD, producing information materials and implementing activities to mark EAAD. Media coverage peaked on 18 and 19 November. At EU level, EAAD was launched at a scientific meeting in the European Parliament, Strasbourg. The event received EU political engagement through support from the EU Commissioner for Health, the Slovenian and French EU Presidencies, and Members of the European Parliament. Critical factors that led to the success of the first EAAD were good cooperation and process for building the campaign, strong political and stakeholder support and development of campaign materials based on scientific evidence. Countries indicated wide support for another EAAD in 2009. For this purpose, ECDC is developing several TV spots as well as a second set of EAAD campaign materials targeting primary care prescribers.

Development of an immunoassay for the detection of minute amounts of IgG-coated erythrocytes in whole blood and its application for the assessment of Fc-mediated clearance of anti-D-coated erythrocytes in vivo.

A rapid and sensitive immunoassay for the detection of minute quantities of IgG-coated erythrocytes in whole blood was developed. Washed red blood cells were incubated in two steps with anti-human IgG antiserum followed by 125I-labelled protein A. The assay was able to detect amounts of sensitized erythrocytes as small as 0.5 ml of packed erythrocytes in a total blood volume of 5 liters and hematocrit 40%. A linear relation between increasing amounts of IgG-coated red cells in whole blood and the binding of 125I-labelled protein A was obtained. We applied the technique on the assessment of the removal of IgG anti-D-coated erythrocytes from the circulation of test individuals. T1/2 for the elimination of approximately 4 ml packed red cells sensitized with 62 micrograms of anti-D in 14 normal subjects was 20 +/- 5 min (mean +/- SEM). A splenectomized person did not clear the injected cells from the circulation during the test period of 70 min. If a standard curve was constructed the total blood volume in the test subjects could be calculated. This value correlated well (r = 0.99) with the blood volume calculated from the height and weight of the test individuals.