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Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Aug 30, 2018

Review identifies top risk factors for antibiotic resistance

A systematic review and analysis of available evidence by researchers in the United Kingdom has identified previous antibiotic exposure, underlying disease, and invasive procedures as the top risk factors for antibiotic resistance in humans.

News Scan for Aug 30, 2018

Study of Zika-affected babies shows early epilepsy onset, treatment resistance

Clinical follow-up of 141 babies born with congenital Zika virus problems who were evaluated at a referral center in Brazil revealed that 67% experienced epilepsy, a prevalence that was higher than the 9% to 50% reported in earlier studies. Researchers from Brazil described their findings today in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Aug 31, 2018

SHEA experts: No routine testing for C diff in NICU patients

A new white paper from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) advises against routine testing for Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) infection (CDI) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients.

News Scan for Aug 31, 2018

DRC confirms 1 more Ebola case as vaccination level passes 5,000

One more case has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) latest Ebola outbreak, in a patient from Beni, the health ministry said yesterday in its latest update.

ASP Scan (Weekly) for Aug 31, 2018

SHEA experts: No routine testing for C diff in NICU patients

A new white paper from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) advises against routine testing for Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile) infection (CDI) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 04, 2018

Singapore study finds multidrug-resistant bacteria in sick pets

An analysis of diagnostic reports from a veterinary clinic in Singapore suggests sick companion pets could be a reservoir for multidrug-resistant bacteria, according to a letter published in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.

News Scan for Sep 04, 2018

Three new MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's health ministry reported three new MERS-CoV cases so far in the first days of September, according to a post summarizing activity in epidemiologic week 36.

News Scan for Sep 05, 2018

Illnesses on flight grounds Emirates flight in NYC, 10 taken to hospital

An Emirates Airline flight arriving at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates at about 9 am this morning was held on the tarmac after 100 people were reportedly ill on the flight. According Eric Phillips, press secretary with the New York mayor's office, there were 521 people on the flight, which stopped in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after it began in Dubai.

Flu Scan for Sep 06, 2018

Tests find flu, common cold viruses in ill passengers on Emirates flights

Tests on 10 people on a flight from Dubai to New York City who were hospitalized afterward showed no illnesses except for flu and common cold viruses, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health) announced today, adding that it expects all 10 people to be released soon.

News Scan for Sep 06, 2018

DRC confirms 3 more Ebola cases as details emerge about urban infection

According to an outbreak update from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), officials recorded three more confirmed cases of Ebola yesterday, including one in a patient who died in Butembo, a major city in North Kivu province.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 07, 2018

Experts identify priority research areas for effective stewardship

A workgroup on behavioral approaches to antibiotic stewardship has identified research priority areas for optimizing effective implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) in hospital settings. The findings were published yesterday in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

News Scan for Sep 07, 2018

Second report of flulike illness in air travelers prompts CDC reminder

Passengers and crew on two inbound flights to Philadelphia yesterday were held for medical evaluation after some passengers were sick with flulike symptoms, the airport said yesterday in a statement.

ASP Scan (Weekly) for Sep 07, 2018

Experts identify priority research areas for effective stewardship

A workgroup on behavioral approaches to antibiotic stewardship has identified research priority areas for optimizing effective implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) in hospital settings. The findings were published yesterday in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

News Scan for Sep 10, 2018

Saudi Arabia confirms new MERS case

As South Korea reported a new MERS-CoV case (see today's news story), the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH), in a new weekly epidemiological report today, noted one new MERS case in a 44-year-old man in Riyadh. The patient had camel contact, the MOH said, and he remains hospitalized.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 11, 2018

Study: Antibiotics do not reduce hospitalization risk for cough

A study published in the British Journal of General Practice yesterday shows that prescribing antibiotics to children with coughs does not reduce the risk of subsequent hospitalization.

News Scan for Sep 11, 2018

UK reports second monkeypox case in traveler from Nigeria

In an unusual development, the United Kingdom today reported a second monkeypox case just 3 days after announcing its first case, but so far the investigation doesn't show a link between the two patients, Public Health England (PHE) said today in a statement.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 12, 2018

Chilean study finds multidrug-resistant gut bacteria in farmed salmon

Chilean scientists have found that extensive use of the antibiotics oxytetracycline and florfenicol leads to the selection of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in the gut microbiota of farmed salmon, according to a study yesterday in PLoS One.

News Scan for Sep 12, 2018

Nigeria, which has 113 confirmed monkeypox cases, aiding UK officials

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said today it is helping UK officials respond to their two recent monkeypox cases, which involve travelers from Nigeria, a country that has now reported 262 suspected cases.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 13, 2018

Investigation provides details on Candida auris outbreak in New York

A study published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases describes the outbreak of the multidrug-resistant fungal infection Candida auris in New York healthcare facilities.

News Scan for Sep 13, 2018

Kuwait probe so far finds no source of Korean man's MERS exposure

Kuwait's health ministry said yesterday that an investigation so far hasn't turned up any evidence to suggest that a South Korean business traveler who was diagnosed with MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) after returning to his home country was exposed in Kuwait, the Korea Times reported today.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 14, 2018

UK-India effort explores diagnostics solutions to AMR in India

A 3-year, £3 million ($3.9 million) collaboration between UK and India researchers seeks to create rapid diagnostics to help address the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in India, according to a news release yesterday from the University of Edinburgh, one of the project partners.

News Scan for Sep 14, 2018

DRC reports 3 more Ebola infections, all from same hot spot

Tests have confirmed Ebola in three more people, all from the hot spot in Beni, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry said today.

ASP Scan (Weekly) for Sep 14, 2018

UK-India effort explores diagnostics solutions to AMR in India

A 3-year, £3 million ($3.9 million) collaboration between UK and India researchers seeks to create rapid diagnostics to help address the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in India, according to a news release yesterday from the University of Edinburgh, one of the project partners.

Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 17, 2018

Study links seasonal macrolides use, resistance in N gonorrhoeae

Using a mathematical model that links seasonal patterns of antibiotic use with resistance, researchers from Harvard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that seasonal changes in population-wide macrolide use is associated with a small rise in azithromycin non-susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates.

News Scan for Sep 17, 2018

MERS sickens 3 more in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia yesterday reported three more MERS-CoV cases, including two from different cities who contracted the virus from a sick household contact.

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