Clostridium difficile

Survey of European ICU docs finds concern over multidrug resistance

More than half of physicians in European intensive care units (ICUs) say multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections are a problem in their hospitals, according to a survey published yesterday in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.

New clindamycin-resistant C difficile strain identified in VA patients

A surveillance study of patients in a Veterans Administration (VA) long-term care facility and its affiliated acute care hospital detected the clonal outbreak of a newly recognized Clostridioides difficile strain, researchers reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

UK study supports whole-genome sequencing for resistance surveillance

New research by a team of scientists from the United Kingdom suggests that whole-genome sequencing (WGS) should be considered as an alternative to traditional phenotypic testing for national surveillance of antibiotic resistance.

Study: Mandatory surveillance of priority pathogens lacking in Europe

A review of national documents shows that fewer than half of European countries have implemented publicly accessible mandatory surveillance of at least one of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) priority pathogens, European researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

Scientists develop genotype-phenotype rapid susceptibility test

Scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that a diagnostic test they developed allows simultaneous detection of genotype and phenotype, enabling rapid and accurate antibiotic susceptibility determination in under 4 hours, according to their findings detailed in a letter in Nature Medicine.

Study shows decline in C difficile incidence at VA hospitals

A retrospective analysis of Veterans Administration (VA) patients who had stool testing for Clostridiodes difficile shows an overall decrease in C difficile infection (CDI) over the course of a decade, with temporal increases linked to implementation of molecular testing methods, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Fecal transplant for C diff tied to fewer bloodstream infections, deaths

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) was associated with a dramatic decrease in bloodstream infections (BSIs), days of hospitalization, and death rates compared to treatment with antibiotics, according to a prospective cohort study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Probiotics associated with increased C difficile risk in NY hospital study

Patients who received probiotics concurrently with antibiotics were more likely to have an incident of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) than those who didn't receive probiotics, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Study find urinary antigen testing underused in pneumonia patients

An analysis of almost 160,000 pneumonia patients in 170 US hospitals indicates that urinary antigen testing (UAT), a practice recommended by national guidelines to allow for antibiotic de-escalation in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), is not widely performed, researchers reported today in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Saudi Arabia records new MERS case in southwest

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported another MERS-CoV case, the first in October. The case-patient is from Abha, a city in the southwestern region of the country.

The new MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) case involves a 34-year-old man with unknown camel exposure. His illness is listed as "primary," meaning it's unlikely he contracted the virus from another person.