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.
Puerto Rico may be underreporting or downplaying the numbers of babies born in the territory with Zika-related birth defects, Stat reported today, citing an unnamed former US health official.
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.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) today announced a new MERS-CoV case, involving a 55-year-old expat man from Wadi Aldwasir who is hospitalized in critical condition. It's not clear if his illness is part of a recent hospital cluster reported from Wadi Aldwasir; he is not a healthcare worker and his infection source is listed as primary, meaning he didn't likely contract the virus from another person.
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.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) confirmed a new MERS-CoV case today in Riyadh.
The patient as identified as an 86-year-old Saudi man who is in stable condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). His infection source is listed as primary, meaning he didn't likely contract the virus from another person.
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).
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.
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).
The World Health Organization (WHO) today noted two MERS-CoV cases in household contacts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while Saudi health officials noted three asymptomatic cases.
The UAE cases involve roommates living in Abu Dhabi, the WHO said. One died on Apr 16, and the other was identified via contact tracing. The second patient was asymptomatic.
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.
In its latest weekly influenza report, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today confirmed 29 new H7N9 avian flu cases in mainland China, the most since late February. There have now been 616 cases of H7N9 reported in China since October of last year, in what is the country's fifth wave of the disease, the CHP said.
India's health ministry has announced the launch of a nationwide, multi-sectoral effort to curb antimicrobial resistance.
An analysis of Neisseria gonorrhea isolates from a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in Amsterdam shows a rise in decreased susceptibility to azithromycin and ceftriaxone, researchers report today in Eurosurveillance.
An initiative to reduce rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections at Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals continues to be associated with marked declines, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported a possible hospital outbreak of MERS-CoV in Buraydah, the site of several recently diagnosed cases of the respiratory disease.
China said today there were four new human cases of H7N9 avian influenza, including one in a child from Hong Kong who had recently traveled to Guangdong province.
The 10-year-old boy is the fourth imported case of H7N9 in Hong Kong this winter. Authorities report that close family contacts and healthcare workers who came in contact with the boy are being treated with Tamiflu prophylactically.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported one new case of MERS today and the death of a previously reported patient.
A 59-year-old Saudi woman is in critical condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection. The woman is from Riyadh, and is listed as having primary exposure to the virus, meaning she did not contract the disease from another person.
China today reported five new H7N9 avian flu cases in humans, most of whom are in critical condition.
According to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) in Hong Kong, a 50-year-old woman from Nanchang is hospitalized in critical condition in Jiangxi province. And a 59-year-old man from Yiyang who worked with poultry is also listed in critical condition in a Hunan province hospital, the CHP said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new online tool that will enable users to find out how the agency is financially supporting efforts to combat antibiotic resistance across the country.
Five more human H7N9 avian flu illnesses have been reported in China, one from Henan province and four from Anhui province, according to government statements translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.
Originally published by CIDRAP News Jan 12
An expensive type of ultraviolet (UV) light treatment called UVC was associated with a 30% drop in the incidence of infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) but did not affect Clostridium difficile rates when used for cleaning hospital rooms between patients, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet.
In recent days the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) announced three more MERS-CoV cases, two in the city of Al Hofuf and one in Najran.
