This poster, originally presented at the 2025 ReAct Asia Pacific Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, presents findings from a study that aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing (POCT) in reducing unnecessary antibiotic use for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections (ARTIs) in Kyrgyz children, aged 6 months – 12 years.
The study included 1,204 children, examined at 14 primary care sits and participants were randomized to intervention (CRP POCT) or control (usual care) groups, with follow-up on days 3, 7, and 14. Outpatient naso-/oropharyngeal swabs and inpatient respiratory samples were collected for microbiological analysis. Primary outcomes were antibiotic use within 14 days and time to recovery; secondary outcomes included prescribing patterns, re-consultations, hospitalizations, and caregiver-reported recovery.
Findings include:
- Efficacy: CRP POCT safely reduced unnecessary antibiotic use in Kyrgyz children with ARTIs by 24% without affecting recovery or hospitalization rates.
- Safety: No increase in adverse outcomes; re-consultations slightly higher but clinically insignificant.
- Microbiology: Most ARTIs were viral or mixed viral–bacterial; S. pneumoniae was the leading bacterial pathogen; M. pneumoniae epidemic activity observed in spring 2023.
- Implications: CRP-guided management is feasible, effective, and scalable in low-resource primary care, supporting improved antibiotic stewardship in LMICs.
