Antimicrobials News

The clinical trial design for testing new urogenital gonorrhea treatments needs to be re-evaluated, researchers said.

Use of a clinical risk stratification tool called the neonatal early-onset sepsis, or EOS, calculator was associated with a substantial reduction in the use of empirical antibiotics for suspected EOS, according to findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Infectious disease pharmacy residency programs in the United States showed consistency in a variety of domains, such as antimicrobial management activities and teaching and research opportunities, though pediatric experiences were less common, according to findings published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Pregnant women should be screened for asymptomatic bacteriuria using a urine culture, according to a U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement published in JAMA.

Using high-risk antibiotics is an independent predictor of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infections, or HA CDIs, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

Infectious diseases had been a big part of my training in medical school in India, where I cared for and learned from patients with a wide variety of infections from extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis to cerebral malaria to Japanese encephalitis to all types of vaccine-preventable diseases because of lack of health care access. I became fascinated by the specialty, and my interest was further bolstered by role models in residency. A fellowship in a strong inner-city clinical program under awesome mentors with a plethora of pathology was invaluable for the years to come. My first job out of training was in a rural community hospital and Federally Qualified Health Center as the first ID physician in the center. It’s been a rewarding experience to start and run a very busy rural ID practice, taking care of uninsured and underinsured patients in an area with a shortage of health professionals. Sharing strong bonds with patients living with HIV over last 7 years in a small rural community has been a learning experience about their challenges and successes. Absorbing the business side of medicine as a medical director has been equally eye opening. My role as a hospital epidemiologist and stewardship lead has allowed me to build cherished relationships with several medical specialties and hospital staff. I have to admit that I have also learned from patients and communities who may not always agree with me (with respect to management of Lyme disease and vaccine refusal). Keeping the dialogue open is the key.

Antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, is a major public health issue. Bacterial diseases we used to successfully treat with antibiotics are re-emerging as serious threats, killing an estimated 700,000 people each year, a number that is predicted to reach 10 million by 2050. If the AMR challenge is not solved by then, the cost associated with it will run into an estimated $100 trillion dollar expenditure.

An NIH-funded study published in Nature Microbiology further highlighted the dangers of prolonged antibiotic use during infancy. Researchers found that infants who were heavily treated with antibiotics had reduced gut microbiota diversity and increased resistance genes to several antimicrobial agents.

The proportion of pathogens infecting chickens and pigs in developing countries that are also significantly resistant to antibiotics grew from 2000 to 2018, with the highest levels of resistance seen in China and India, a newly published analysis showed.

CMS recently issued a final rule that will change the way hospitals will get reimbursed for new antimicrobial therapies, potentially removing some barriers to their use.