Most recent by Helen W. Boucher, MD, FACP, FIDSA
ACP recommends shorter antibiotic courses for common bacterial infections
ACP, citing previous data that indicate at least 30% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. were “unnecessary” and “often continued for too long,” issued best practices for appropriate antibiotic use in several bacterial infections.
Colistin resistance signals need to redouble efforts amid growing public health crisis
The recent discoveries of two new genes that confer resistance to colistin (an antibiotic of last resort) make it clear that antibiotic resistance poses an increasing danger to patients, public health and national security. Antibiotic resistance and the lack of new antibiotics jeopardizes our ability to provide adequate medical care for many hospitalized patients, including preterm infants; those undergoing chemotherapy, solid organ and bone marrow transplants, joint replacements and complex surgeries; wounded soldiers; and others. As the Infectious Diseases Society of America has emphasized for more than a decade, robust federal and international solutions are needed to stem the tide of resistance and bring forth the tools physicians need (including new antibiotics, diagnostic tests and vaccines) to safely and effectively care for their patients and protect the world from this growing threat.