Acute Infections, Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic-Related Knowledge Among People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Study.
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Medicine, Department II, Discipline of Infectious Diseases II, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, 020021 Bucharest, Romania.
- 2Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Infectious Diseases "Prof. Dr. Matei Bals", 020021 Bucharest, Romania.
- 3Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department II, Discipline of Pathophysiology and Immunology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, 020021 Bucharest, Romania.
- 4Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Emergency University Hospital, 050098 Bucharest, Romania.
Abstract
Background: Acute infections and antibiotic use remain clinically relevant among people living with HIV (PLWH). This exploratory study assessed self-reported acute infections, usual healthcare contact, antibiotic use, and antibiotic-related knowledge among PLWH. Methods: We conducted a single-center cross-sectional questionnaire-based study among 209 PLWH in Bucharest, Romania (October 2025-March 2026). The questionnaire assessed self-reported acute infections and hospitalizations during the preceding 12 months, usual healthcare contact, antibiotic use, and six knowledge items. Frequent self-reported antibiotic use was defined as use on at least three occasions during the preceding 12 months. Results: At least one self-reported acute infection was reported by 45.5% of participants; 9.6% reported an infection-related hospitalization. The family physician was the most frequently reported usual healthcare contact (55.0%), followed by the infectious diseases physician (31.6%). Among 207 participants with evaluable antibiotic-use data, 22 (10.6%) met the frequent-use definition. In exploratory analyses, knowledge scores were higher among participants with greater educational attainment and those living in urban areas, but showed no clear evidence of an association with frequent self-reported antibiotic use (unadjusted OR per 1-point increase, 1.16; 95% CI 0.88-1.54; p = 0.290). In an exploratory adjusted analysis, self-reported acute infection and suboptimal physician-estimated antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence were associated with frequent self-reported antibiotic use. Conclusions: Frequent self-reported antibiotic use was associated with reported acute infections and suboptimal physician-estimated ART adherence, whereas there was no clear evidence of an association with antibiotic-related knowledge. This pattern suggests that infectious morbidity and care-related factors may be important correlates of repeated antibiotic use in PLWH and highlights the potential value of coordinated stewardship across HIV and primary care.
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BibTeX
@article{marinescu2026acute,
title = {{Acute Infections, Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic-Related Knowledge Among People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Study.}},
author = {Adrian Gabriel Marinescu and Cătălin Tilișcan and Aida-Isabela Adamescu and Daniela Pițigoi and Sebastian Ciobanu and Laurențiu Mihăița Stratan and Dalila Toma and Carmen Cristina Vasile and Victoria Aramă and Ștefan Sorin Aramă},
journal = {Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/antibiotics15100979},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938720},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Acute Infections, Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic-Related Knowledge Among People Living with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Study.
AU - Adrian Gabriel Marinescu
AU - Cătălin Tilișcan
AU - Aida-Isabela Adamescu
AU - Daniela Pițigoi
AU - Sebastian Ciobanu
AU - Laurențiu Mihăița Stratan
AU - Dalila Toma
AU - Carmen Cristina Vasile
AU - Victoria Aramă
AU - Ștefan Sorin Aramă
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/antibiotics15100979
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42938720
AB - Background: Acute infections and antibiotic use remain clinically relevant among people living with HIV (PLWH). This exploratory study assessed self-reported acute infections, usual healthcare contact, antibiotic use, and antibiotic-related knowledge among PLWH. Methods: We conducted a single-center cross-sectional questionnaire-based study among 209 PLWH in Bucharest, Romania (October 2025-March 2026). The questionnaire assessed self-reported acute infections and hospitalizations during the preceding 12 months, usual healthcare contact, antibiotic use, and six knowledge items. Frequent self-reported antibiotic use was defined as use on at least three occasions during the preceding 12 months. Results: At least one self-reported acute infection was reported by 45.5% of participants; 9.6% reported an infection-related hospitalization. The family physician was the most frequently reported usual healthcare contact (55.0%), followed by the infectious diseases physician (31.6%). Among 207 participants with evaluable antibiotic-use data, 22 (10.6%) met the frequent-use definition. In exploratory analyses, knowledge scores were higher among participants with greater educational attainment and those living in urban areas, but showed no clear evidence of an association with frequent self-reported antibiotic use (unadjusted OR per 1-point increase, 1.16; 95% CI 0.88-1.54; p = 0.290). In an exploratory adjusted analysis, self-reported acute infection and suboptimal physician-estimated antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence were associated with frequent self-reported antibiotic use. Conclusions: Frequent self-reported antibiotic use was associated with reported acute infections and suboptimal physician-estimated ART adherence, whereas there was no clear evidence of an association with antibiotic-related knowledge. This pattern suggests that infectious morbidity and care-related factors may be important correlates of repeated antibiotic use in PLWH and highlights the potential value of coordinated stewardship across HIV and primary care.
SN - 2079-6382
ER -