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WHO advisors to conduct full review of Dengvaxia data

Today the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its Q and A document that covers developments surrounding Dengvaxia, Sanofi's dengue vaccine. It says its Strategic Advisory Groups of Experts (SAGE) will undertake a full rigorous view of new data to update its position paper on the vaccine, which won't likely be available until after April 2018.

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

CDC: Multistate E coli outbreak sickens 17, shows links to Canada's outbreak

Federal and state health officials are investigating a multistate Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak that has sickened 17 people in 13 states, and preliminary tests by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the outbreak strain is closely related to one in Canada that has been associated with romaine lettuce.

Review challenges the 'static vs cidal' dogma

Data from high-quality, randomized controlled trials show that bactericidal antibiotics are not intrinsically superior to bacteriostatic antibiotics, researchers from the University of Southern California School of Medicine report in a new paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Experts issue call for action on antimicrobial resistance in ICU patients

Intensive care and infectious disease experts from the Antimicrobial Resistance in Critical Care (ANTARCTICA) coalition have released a statement in Intensive Care Medicine calling for increased awareness and action to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in intensive care units (ICUs).

Concerns raised about fluoroquinolone use in New Zealand

Scientists in New Zealand are calling for tighter restrictions on the use of fluoroquinolones, according to reporting by the New Zealand Herald.

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

Review challenges the 'static vs cidal' dogma

Data from high-quality, randomized controlled trials show that bactericidal antibiotics are not intrinsically superior to bacteriostatic antibiotics, researchers from the University of Southern California School of Medicine report in a new paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

LA County reports first sexually transmitted Zika case

Health officials in Los Angeles County today announced the area's first sexually transmitted Zika case, which involves a male resident who traveled to Mexico and had Zika symptoms in early November and his female partner, who did not travel.

DOD awards $16 million to fund development of novel antibiotic

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a division of the US Department of Defense, has awarded up to $16 million to VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals for discovery and development of a novel, first-in-class antibiotic for biodefense applications.

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

DOD awards $16 million to fund development of novel antibiotic

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, a division of the US Department of Defense, has awarded up to $16 million to VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals for discovery and development of a novel, first-in-class antibiotic for biodefense applications.

VRE infections associated with significant costs, study finds

A case-control study by German investigators has found that nosocomial infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are costlier than those caused by vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE), according to a new study in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control.

Four new MERS cases reported in Saudi Arabia

Yesterday and today the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced four new cases of MERS-CoV in different cities across the country, including one involving a health worker.

CDC says C diff cases in long-term care facilities have dropped sharply

A study yesterday by experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the incidence of Clostridium difficile in long-term care facilities decreased 17.5% annually from 2011 to 2015 at 10 US sites, along with a concomitant decline in inpatient fluoroquinolone use.

Italian scientists report first MCR-4 isolates from human samples

Scientists from Italy today reported detecting the worrisome colistin-resistance gene MCR-4 in two isolates of Salmonella from people, only the second time the gene has been reported and the first time in humans, according to their report in Eurosurveillance.

Online antimicrobial stewardship course reaches 33,000 people

An "interactive massive open online course" (MOOC) on antimicrobial stewardship was taken by 32,944 people in 163 countries and was rated highly by its participants, most of whom were healthcare professionals, according to a report this week in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

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

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

Three new MERS cases in Saudi Arabia, 2 linked to camels

Over the weekend and through today, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported three new cases of MERS-CoV, two of which were linked to camel exposure.

Suspected yellow fever cases double in Brazil

The number of suspected yellow fever cases in Brazil is climbing quickly, with 421 suspected infections and two more states reporting cases, the health ministry said yesterday in a statement. The case total reflects an increase of 215 cases from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) update on Jan 18.

Another MERS case reported in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) today reported a new case of MERS-CoV in the city of Jeddah.

A 48-year-old expatriate man is in critical condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus).The source of his infection is listed as primary, meaning he did not contract the disease from another person.

VHA says its stewardship efforts have cut antibiotic use 12%

More than 90% of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals have developed written antimicrobial stewardship policies, and the agency's Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative has cut antibiotic use 12% overall so far, VHA officials noted yesterday in an analysis in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Study shows possible benefit of azithromycin in pregnancy

Giving pregnant women a dose of azithromycin during labor reduces infections in both mothers and newborns, according to a new study in Pediatrics. But an accompanying commentary suggests the harms of azithromycin exposure could outweigh the benefits.

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

VHA says its stewardship efforts have cut antibiotic use 12%

Originally published by CIDRAP News Jan 26

Study finds resistance genes are abundant in Chinese estuaries

A team of researchers has detected a high abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes in Chinese coastal estuaries, according to a study yesterday in Nature Microbiology.

MCR-1 identified in California; Vietnam notes link to ag colistin use

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) reported yesterday that a bacterial isolate harboring the MCR-1 gene, which confers resistance to the last-resort antibiotic colistin, has been identified in a patient with an Escherichia coli infection.