Top stories in infectious disease: Urinalysis reflex testing reduces urine cultures, origami-inspired field test diagnoses malaria species

Among the top stories in infectious disease last week were research that found an intervention that included changing the electronic ordering system to encourage urinalysis reflex testing for suspected urinary tract infections led to a 45% reduction in urine cultures ordered at a St. Louis hospital without missing any UTIs and a study that concluded a low-cost, DNA-based paper field test inspired by the art of origami was able to rapidly diagnose malaria species in Ugandan school children and performed similarly compared with laboratory-based real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Other highlights included data that indicated a large academic dental practice saw a nearly 73% decrease in antibiotic prescribing after implementing a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship program, the World Health Organization’s delay in deciding which influenza viruses should be included in seasonal vaccines and findings that suggested using days of therapy to estimate vancomycin use may underestimate exposure to the antibiotic by around 10% compared with therapeutic drug-monitoring.

Hospital halves urine cultures by encouraging urinalysis reflex testing

An intervention that included changing the electronic ordering system to encourage urinalysis reflex testing for suspected urinary tract infections led to a 45% reduction in urine cultures ordered at a St. Louis hospital without missing any UTIs, according to research published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. Read more.

Origami-inspired malaria field test performs similarly to polymerase chain reaction

A low-cost, DNA-based paper field test inspired by the art of origami was able to rapidly diagnose malaria species in Ugandan school children and performed similarly compared with laboratory-based real-time polymerase chain reaction, according to research presented in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Read more.

Large dental practice cuts antibiotic prescribing by 73%

A large academic dental practice saw a nearly 73% decrease in antibiotic prescribing after implementing a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship program that is thought to be the first of its kind, researchers said. Read more.

World Health Organization delays picking H3N2 virus for next season’s flu vaccine

The WHO advisory group that recommends which influenza viruses should be included in seasonal vaccines said it would wait another month, until March 21, to select an H3N2 component for the Northern Hemisphere’s 2019-2020 vaccines “in light of recent changes in the proportions of” circulating viruses. Read more.

Measuring vancomycin use by days of therapy underestimates exposure

Using days of therapy, or DOT, to estimate vancomycin use may underestimate exposure to the antibiotic by around 10% compared with therapeutic drug-monitoring, or TDM, according to findings published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. Read more.