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Study: Most kids not getting first-line antibiotics for pneumonia

Despite guidelines that recommend amoxicillin as a first-line therapy for children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), most kids diagnosed with CAP are receiving macrolides and broad-spectrum antibiotics, according to a study yesterday in Pediatrics.

WHO: Saudi MERS this year higher than same period a year ago

In an epidemiologic update on MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia today, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted that there were more cases in the first 2 months of 2017 than during the same period last year. The WHO also said its scientists are seeing younger women with the coronavirus, but that much of the disease's demographics haven't changed.

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

IDSA report highlights patients' struggle with antibiotic-resistant disease

Originally published by CIDRAP News Mar 9

Seven Saudi MERS cases reported, 6 tied to suspected hospital outbreak

Over the past few days Saudi Arabia reported seven new MERS-CoV infections, including six that appear to be linked to a hospital outbreak in Wadi ad-Dawasir in the south central part of the country.

Australian parent survey finds misconceptions about antibiotics

A large survey of Australian parents has found significant misconceptions about antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections.

New polio case reported in Pakistan, its second this year

Pakistan has a new case of paralysis and infection with wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), its second of the year and the world's fourth in 2017, according to a post yesterday by ProMED-mail, the infectious disease news service of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

H5N1 outbreaks continue in Africa; more H5N8 reported from France

Cameroon and Nigeria reported more highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu outbreaks on poultry farms, and France reported four more H5N8 outbreaks from its hard-hit southwest, according to the latest notifications from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Bipartisan group asks Trump to continue support for Zika battle

A bipartisan group of 47 lawmakers sent a letter to President Trump yesterday, asking him to continue support for a comprehensive response across US government agencies to the Zika virus threat.

KFC says its chicken will be free of medically important antibiotics

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has become the latest fast food chain to announce it will stop selling chicken raised with medically important antibiotics.

KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, says that by the end of 2018, all chicken bought by its 4,200 restaurants will be free of antibiotics that are also used in human medicine.

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

KFC says its chicken will be free of medically important antibiotics

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has become the latest fast food chain to announce it will stop selling chicken raised with medically important antibiotics.

Tests reveal Zika circulating in Africa for more than 20 years

Zika virus has been silently circulating in West Africa for more than two decades, according to a study of 387 blood samples collected from 1992 to 2016, researchers from Harvard University, Nigeria, and Senegal reported in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The virus was first identified in 1947 but wasn't linked with known epidemics until 2007 and hadn't been linked to neurologic disease before 2015.

ASP tied to lower broad-spectrum antibiotic use in pediatric hospital

A German study in Infection found that implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) was associated with lower rates of broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing, better dosage accuracy, shorter therapy, and cost savings in a pediatric hospital.

MRSA outbreak reported among infants at LA hospital

Ten infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a Los Angeles hospital have been infected with a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) over the past several months, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

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

MRSA outbreak reported among infants at LA hospital

Ten infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a Los Angeles hospital have been infected with a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) over the past several months, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

Azithromycin not found to increase risk of ventricular arrhythmia

A study today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) has found that use of the antibiotic azithromycin was associated with increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat) when compared with nonuse of antibiotics, but not when compared with use of amoxicillin.

Study finds ID consultation helps patients with S aureus bacteremia

Adding infectious disease consultation to antimicrobial stewardship review in the management of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) can ensure adherence to recommended treatment and improve clinical outcomes, according to a study yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

New drug takes novel approach to inhibiting bacterial growth

A study today in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology describes a novel antibiotic agent that targets a different pathway than traditional antibiotics to inhibit bacterial growth.

H5N1 strikes Vietnamese poultry again; more H5N8 in Europe

In the latest avian flu outbreak developments, Vietnam reported another highly pathogenic H5N1 event in backyard birds and two European countries—Russia and Slovakia—reported two more H5N8 detections. Details shared by country officials appeared in the most recent notifications to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Study shows promise for procalcitonin to guide pneumonia treatment

Spanish investigators reported in PLoS One yesterday that procalcitonin (PCT) level is an effective marker in point-of-care testing for selecting narrow-spectrum antibiotics in outpatients who have pneumonia.

Long-term sepsis risks shown in patients colonized with resistant bacteria

People who've had drug-resistant bacteria detected in their urine or feces have a higher risk of developing a drug-resistant bloodstream infection for several years afterward, according to a study presented yesterday at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).

Test can detect colistin rapidly, cheaply

Data presented at the 27th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), which wrapped up today, suggest that equipment already owned by most hospitals can quickly and accurately detect resistance to last-resort antibiotics like colistin.

India launches national plan to fight antimicrobial resistance

India's health ministry has announced the launch of a nationwide, multi-sectoral effort to curb antimicrobial resistance.

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

India launches national plan to fight antimicrobial resistance

Originally published by CIDRAP News Apr 26

India's health ministry has announced the launch of a nationwide, multi-sectoral effort to curb antimicrobial resistance.

Novel C diff antibiotic tops vancomycin in phase 2 trial

A phase 2 trial of the novel antibiotic ridinilazole in adults with Clostridium difficile infections showed that it performed better than vancomycin, one of three drugs used to routinely treat infections, and was well tolerated, with a similar adverse event profile.

Second Monrovia death reported in unexplained Liberia illness cluster

Health officials in Liberia have reported a second death in Monrovia linked to an unexplained illness cluster in people who attended the funeral of a religious leader in Greenville, located about 4 hours' drive south of the country's capital in Sinoe County, according to local media reports.