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UK study finds CRP tests tied to lower antibiotic prescribing for cough

The use of point-of-care C-reactive protein (CRP) tests in primary care practices reduced the odds of prescribing antibiotics for cough by 21%, a non-significant but clinically relevant reduction, researchers reported yesterday in Eurosurveillance.

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

UK study finds CRP tests tied to lower antibiotic prescribing for cough

The use of point-of-care C-reactive protein (CRP) tests in primary care practices reduced the odds of prescribing antibiotics for cough by 21%, a non-significant but clinically relevant reduction, researchers reported yesterday in Eurosurveillance.

Italian study finds daily ID consults linked to reduced hospital antibiotics

Daily infectious disease (ID) consultation in an Italian hospital was associated with reduced antibiotic consumption compared with weekly ID consultation, Italian researchers reported late last week in BMC Infectious Diseases.

CARB-X supports bacteriophage therapy for recurrent urinary infections

CARB-X announced today that it is awarding up to $2.05 million to Locus Biosciences of Morrisville, North Carolina, to develop a CRISPR-Cas3-enhaced bacteriophage for treating recurring urinary tract infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Study finds frequent use of key antibiotics in 4 low-resource nations

A study of community-level antibiotic use in patients in four low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) found frequent use of broad-spectrum antibiotics considered at risk of becoming ineffective owing to rising antibiotic resistance, an international team of researchers reported today in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

Pharmacist-led stewardship linked to improved antibiotic prescribing

An antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) intervention led by ambulatory care pharmacists was associated with improvements in guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing in a family medicine residency clinic, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

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

Pharmacist-led stewardship linked to improved antibiotic prescribing

An antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) intervention led by ambulatory care pharmacists was associated with improvements in guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing in a family medicine residency clinic, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

A community-based study found the prevalence of pneumococcal carriage was substantially higher in older adults who reported contact with children.

Zevtera was approved for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, acute bacterial skin infections, and community-acquired pneumonia.

Survey shows increase in stewardship programs in English primary care

A 2019 survey of clinical commissioning groups in England showed an increase in antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs compared with the previous survey, according to a report yesterday from UK nonprofit The Patients Association.

Plague outbreak in DRC sickens 45, some with pneumonic symptoms

A plague outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that began on June likely involves all three types, including pneumonic, and has so far resulted in 45 cases, 9 of them fatal, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday in a statement.

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

New biobank to study bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics

Scientists in Luxembourg this week announced the creation of a new biobank that will collect and analyze strains of bacteria from Europe that are resistant to last-resort antibiotics.

Survey: More US workers out sick amid pandemic than any other time on record

More than 2 million American workers called in sick in a single week in mid-April, causing the highest absence rate on record and leading to suspicions that COVID-19 cases were substantially undercounted, according to a research letter published yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Trial evaluates antibiotic combination for MRSA bacteremia, endocarditis

A randomized phase 3 trial found that the combination of daptomycin and fosfomycin provided higher treatment success than daptomycin alone for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and endocarditis, but the difference did not reach statistical significance, Spanish researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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

Trial evaluates antibiotic combination for MRSA bacteremia, endocarditis

Originally published by CIDRAP News Jul 30

One more sick in DRC Ebola outbreak, 73 total, with 31 deaths

Ebola has sickened one more person in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Equateur province outbreak, upping the total to 73 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office said today on Twitter.

No new deaths were reported, keeping the fatality count at 31.

Wording change tied to fewer unneeded antibiotics for neonatal sepsis

A change in the wording of antibiotic duration orders for neonatal sepsis led to a substantial decrease in the number of infants who received extra unnecessary antibiotic orders, pharmacists at a hospital in British Columbia reported today in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Study shows high SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate among Latinos

More than 40% of Latinos in the Baltimore-Washington, DC metropolitan region who were tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were positive, a rate far higher than for any other racial/ethnic group, researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported yesterday in JAMA.

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

Analysis shows US antibiotic use still heavily tilted toward livestock

A comparison of antibiotic sales data by members of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) shows that cattle and swine on US farms consume 44% more of medically important antibiotics than do humans.

CARB-X to fund topical antibiotic for surgical, wound infections

CARB-X today announced $4.6 million in funding to expand development of two topical antimicrobial products that target serious surgical and traumatic wound infections.

Rapid blood culture test tied to improved antibiotic therapy at children's hospital

The implementation of a rapid diagnostic testing platform at a children's hospital, coupled with real-time antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) result notification, was associated with improved antibiotic management of hospitalized children with gram-positive blood culture isolates, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Public-private partnership aims to boost AMR surveillance in Africa

Pfizer and Wellcome Trust yesterday announced a new partnership with the governments of Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, and Uganda to track antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in those countries.

MCR-9 gene discovered in Salmonella Typhimurium strain

Researchers from Cornell University have discovered another variant of the mobile colistin-resistance gene MCR, according to a study yesterday in mBio.

Study finds high probability of antibiotic use over time in insured patients

Research today in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans enrolled in health insurance plans filled a prescription for an antibiotic over a 4-year period.

Computer model shows potential of automated registry for CRE carriers

A computer modeling study suggests that implementing a registry that tracks patients with extensively drug-resistant organisms (XDROs) could reduce the spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in a regional healthcare network, researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.