Search

CARB-X funds potential antibiotic against CRE superbugs

In a first for a Japanese company, CARB-X, a public-private collaboration that supports companies to combat antimicrobial resistance, has awarded Shionogi, of Osaka, $4.7 million to support the development of a novel beta-lactam antibiotic with potent activity against the worrisome superbugs that produce carbapenemase, including BL/BLI-resistant carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), CARB-X said in a news release today.

House budget bill lifts funding for infectious disease, public health efforts

The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by the US House of Representatives today to fund the government through the end of September contains increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to official and media sources.

CDC: Flu continues decline across the US as influenza B incidence rises

The rate of outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) dropped to 2.7% last week, close to the national baseline of 2.2%, according to the latest influenza surveillance data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the 17th week ILI has been at or above the national baseline.

Study finds contact precautions did not reduce drug-resistant infections

A 9-year single-center study by Columbia University scientists published yesterday in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that decreases in multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) were likely not due to implementing universal contact precautions (UCPs).

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Study finds contact precautions did not reduce drug-resistant infections

A 9-year single-center study by Columbia University scientists published yesterday in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that decreases in multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) were likely not due to implementing universal contact precautions (UCPs).

Survey finds audit and feedback key to antibiotic stewardship success

A survey of 244 members of three infectious diseases societies reveals that the most common approached to antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are antibiotic reviews with prospective audit and feedback (PAF), prior authorization for select antibiotics, and guideline development, according to a study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Saudi Arabia records four new MERS cases

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) released four new reports of MERS-CoV cases over the weekend, including two cases that had direct contact with camels.

On Mar 21, a 67-year-old Saudi man from Najran was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). He is in stable condition and had contact with camels.

WHO: Nigeria's Lassa fever outbreak slowing but far from contained

The pace of new infections in Nigeria's Lassa fever outbreak is starting to slow, but the epidemic is far from contained, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said yesterday in a statement.

Urine culture on hospital admission tied to longer antibiotic therapy

Texas researchers who analyzed data from 230 US hospitals discovered that patients with a urine culture taken on the day of hospital admission receive more days of antibiotics and have a longer hospital stay than do patients who do not have a urine culture, according to their study yesterday in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (ICHE).

South Africa reports more H5N8 outbreaks; H5N1 strikes Cambodian farm

South Africa has reported more highly pathogenic H5N8 detections in ostriches, other captive birds, and a wild bird, and Cambodia reported another H5N1 outbreak in poultry, according to the latest avian flu reports from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Candida auris cases in Europe on the rise, with 620 since 2013

From 2013 through 2017 European officials recorded 620 cases of Candida auris, mostly from four large outbreaks, and 110 of them (17.7%) involved bloodstream infections, according to a report today in Eurosurveillance.

Study in pregnant women hints at pertussis protection from flu vaccination

A post hoc study in South African pregnant women who took part in a flu vaccine study in 2011 and 2012 found that flu vaccination may have had a protective effect against Bordetella pertussis. Researchers described their findings today in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Statewide Colorado stewardship collaborative shows promise in UTI Rx

Today in Clinical Infectious Diseases Colorado researchers report declining fluoroquinolone use after initiating a statewide stewardship collaborative to improve the diagnosis and treatment of inpatient urinary tract infections (UTIs) and skin and other soft-tissue infections (SSTIs).

As US flu cases continue to slow, influenza B picks up

The rate of outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) dropped again this week to 2.5%, down from 2.7% in the previous week, and influenza B continues to cause an increasing percentage of flu cases, according to the latest influenza surveillance data reported today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This is the 18th week ILI has been at or above the national baseline, which is 2.2%.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Saudi Arabia records 3 new MERS cases

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) released details of three new cases of MERS-CoV over the weekend, including two cases in Hofuf.

Surveillance network finds more evidence for global spread of MCR gene

Tests on clinical samples collected from a large global antimicrobial resistance surveillance network confirmed the worldwide spread of the colistin-resistance gene MCR, a research team based at the International Health Management Associates in Schaumberg, Ill., reported yesterday in PLoS One.

Monkeypox outbreak recorded in Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) declared an outbreak of monkeypox in Bambari district, according to the latest weekly World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office bulletin, dated Mar 30 but posted yesterday.

Defensive medicine found common when prescribing antibiotics

A study group with the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) reports that 45% of specialists in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology sometimes worried and 29% often worried about malpractice implications when prescribing or advising on antibiotic prescriptions, and 85% reported defensive behaviors when prescribing, according to a study today in the Journal of Antimicrobial Ch

Saudi Arabia records 2 new MERS cases

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) has confirmed two new cases of MERS-CoV, including a household contact in Riyadh.

On Apr 2, a 58-year-old Saudi man from Najran was diagnosed as having an asymptomatic MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection. He is in stable condition, and the source of his infection is listed as "primary," meaning it's unlikely he contracted the disease from another person. 

Study finds racial disparities in invasive MRSA incidence remain

A study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases shows that while rates of healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have decreased in the United States, racial disparities in MRSA rates have not changed.

Study: Ebola survivors can safely have cataract surgery

Survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD) often suffer long-term vision complications that can now safely be corrected with cataract surgery, according to new research from Emory Eye Center ophthalmologists published in EBioMedicine.

CDC: Flu activity drops across the country

Only two states reported high levels of influenza-like illness (ILI) last week, according to the latest influenza surveillance data reported today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And only 11 states, down from the previous week's 16, recorded widespread influenza activity.

San Francisco officials report measles cluster, plus related case in Nevada

The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) yesterday issued a health advisory about six confirmed measles cases, plus another from Nevada linked to the cluster. The Bay-area cases are from Santa Clara (5) and Alameda (1) counties and involve unvaccinated people.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

English health officials issue written warning about antibiotic prescribing

England's chief medical officer has sent letters to more than 8,000 general practitioners (GPs) telling them that they're overprescribing antibiotics, according to a report today in Pulse, a UK medical publication.