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VA study identifies factors associated with antimicrobial utilization

A new study of antimicrobial stewardship efforts at Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine has identified factors associated with positive and negative effects on antimicrobial utilization.

More H5N8 detections in Europe as Vietnam reports H5N1 outbreaks

Two European countries—Italy and Russia—reported new highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu outbreaks, and Vietnam reported five H5N1 events that were detected back in February, according to the latest notifications from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Measles outbreak in Minnesota, fueled by anti-vaxxers, grows to 44 cases

A Minneapolis-area measles outbreak that has been fueled by low vaccination rates in Somali-Americans grew by 3 cases today, to 44, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported today.

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

Study finds multidrug resistance rates similar in small, large US hospitals

A study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases reports no systematic differences in rates of antimicrobial resistance between large tertiary care hospitals and small community hospitals.

New case of MERS reported in Riyadh

On May 6 the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new confirmed case of MERS-CoV in Riyadh.

A 46-year-old Saudi man was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) after showing symptoms of the virus. He is in stable condition, and his infection is listed as "primary," meaning it is unlikely he contracted the disease from another person.

Liberian illness cluster blood samples yield serotype C meningitis

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that the positive test results for Neisseria meningitidis from four Liberian patients is serotype C, Science reported yesterday. Kai Kupferschmidt, the author of the Science report, said on Twitter today that the tests were on blood and that testing is under way on cerebrospinal fluid samples.

Study finds race, male sex associated with MRSA bacteremia

A multicenter study of patients with MRSA bloodstream infections caused by a community-associated strain of the pathogen has identified race as a primary association, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Novel antifungal drug shows early promise against Candida auris

A novel antifungal drug has shown in vitro activity against the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris, researchers report in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Brazil declares end to Zika emergency

Yesterday Brazil's Ministry of Health lifted the state of emergency caused by the Zika virus, due to the country's dwindling case counts of the mosquito-borne disease.

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

Rise of carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae reported in Belgium

Belgian researchers are reporting a rise in carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae (CPE), including a colistin-resistant MCR-1 producer, in hospitals and the community in Belgium.

Three hospital-related MERS cases in Saudi Arabia

Over the weekend and through today, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported four more MERS-CoV cases, including two linked to possible healthcare exposures.

Brazil's outbreak yellow fever virus has mutated significantly

The yellow fever virus that has caused a large outbreak in Brazil has undergone substantial mutations, but these changes should not affect vaccine effectiveness, Brazilian investigators said, according to a story today in Brazil's O Globo newspaper.

Study finds dramatic impact tied to stewardship at a small, rural hospital

Implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) at a rural community hospital in Georgia significantly reduced Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs), antimicrobial use, and overall drug costs, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

CDC reports count of US Candida auris infections up to 77 cases

In today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several state health departments say a total of 77 clinical cases of the emerging multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris have now been reported from seven states.

Antibiotic allergy testing improves appropriate prescribing, study finds

Incorporating antibiotic allergy testing (AAT) into an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program can improve antibiotic usage and appropriateness, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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

Antibiotic allergy testing improves appropriate prescribing, study finds

Incorporating antibiotic allergy testing (AAT) into an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program can improve antibiotic usage and appropriateness, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Study: 1 in 4 pneumonia patients fail initial antibiotic therapy

Nearly one in four adult outpatients prescribed antibiotic monotherapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) do not respond to treatment, according to a paper presented at the 2017 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

MCR-1 detected in Australian E coli isolates

Researchers have identified the colistin resistance gene MCR-1 in Escherichia coli samples from two patients in Australia, according to a report yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

WHO: DRC Ebola outbreak smaller than previously reported

The World Health Organization's  (WHO's) regional office for Africa released a new Ebola situation report today, noting fewer cases than previously reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Study documents drug resistance in Chinese gonorrhea isolates

A surveillance study yesterday in BMC Infectious Diseases reports high levels of resistance to previously recommended antimicrobials in Neisseria gonorrhea isolates from a city in eastern China.

Paper lays out hurdles for developing rapid antibiotic susceptibility tests

An international group of specialists from hospitals, research institutes, public health agencies, and diagnostics firms yesterday published a paper outlining the challenges to developing novel and rapid antibiotic susceptibility tests (ASTs). The consensus statement was published in Nature Reviews Microbiology.

Study finds current diagnostic tests missing MDR-TB cases in South Africa

An international team of researchers found that the World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed diagnostic tests for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are missing a substantial number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB cases in South Africa. The study appeared yesterday in Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Study finds current diagnostic tests missing MDR-TB cases in South Africa

An international team of researchers found that the World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed diagnostic tests for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are missing a substantial number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB cases in South Africa. The study appeared yesterday in Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Financial incentives may cut antibiotic prescribing, with few unintended results

The antibiotic prescribing component of a financial incentive program to improve services at UK National Health Service (NHS) clinics found a significant reduction in both total and broad-spectrum antibiotic prescribing in primary care settings, with no link to unintended consequences, except for a few specific conditions.

DRC Ebola total grows by 4 cases as college students support response

In its daily update today the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) health ministry reported four more lab-confirmed cases, three in the current outbreak epicenter in Beni and one in the city of Butembo.