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

MERS infects 1 more in Saudi Arabia as WHO details 2 clusters

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported another MERS-CoV case, which involves a 70-year-old woman from Riyadh, the country's capital. In a related development, the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean regional office (WHO EMRO) shared new details about a string of recent cases in the Saudi city of Khafji in April, which it said included two clusters.

New MERS case recorded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new MERS-CoV case today in the city of Jeddah. The notice came in an epidemiologic week 20 notification.

The patient is a 73-year-old man. The source of his MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) infection is listed as "primary," meaning it is unlikely he contracted the virus from another person. He did, however, have recent contact with camels.

British veterinarian group updates policy on antimicrobials in food-animals

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has issued an updated policy position on responsible antimicrobial use in food-producing animals.

School procurement policy calls for beef raised on fewer antibiotics

Using a first-of-its-kind procurement policy aimed at combating antibiotic resistance, four school districts in upstate New York today awarded contracts to Slate Foods, a beef supplier that buys cattle from farms that have agreed to use practices that reduce the use of on-farm antibiotics.

Northern Ireland announces One Health AMR plan

The government of Northern Ireland yesterday announced a 5-year, One Health action plan to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

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

Northern Ireland announces One Health AMR plan

The government of Northern Ireland yesterday announced a 5-year, One Health action plan to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

MERS sickens 1 more in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday reported one more MERS-CoV case, which involves a patient from Al Kharj. Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided new details about nine cases reported in Saudi Arabia from Apr 9 to Apr 30, including five that were part of ongoing clusters in three different cities.

Letter to 'nudge' high antibiotic prescribers linked to drop in prescribing 

A letter sent to the highest antibiotic-prescribing General Practitioners (GPs) in Northern Ireland was tied to a nearly 5% reduction in prescribing in those practices over the course of a year, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Study links lower triage scores to delayed sepsis antibiotics

Sepsis patients who received a slightly higher emergency department (ED) triage score received antibiotics faster, a crucial step for survival, researchers from Intermountain Medical Center reported yesterday at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting under way in Dallas.

WHA adopts resolution to combat antimicrobial resistance

Yesterday member states at the World Health Assembly (WHA)—the annual meeting of the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO)—adopted a resolution calling for continued high-level commitments to implement and adequately fund multisectoral national action plans addressing antimicrobial resistance, the WHO said in a news release.

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

CARB-X awards $3 million for development of monoclonal antibody

CARB-X today announced funding for the development of an alternative treatment for infections caused by a multidrug-resistant strain of Escherichia coli.

CDC reports illustrate link between medical care abroad, resistant organisms

Two case studies today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlight the importance of screening for drug-resistant organisms in patients who've had recent medical care outside the United States

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

CDC reports illustrate link between medical care abroad, resistant organisms

Originally published by CIDRAP News Aug 1

DRC Ebola outbreak grows by 11; GSK stops Ebola vaccine work

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ministry of health will likely record 11 more cases of Ebola today, raising the outbreak total to 2,774, including 1,849 deaths. The death toll has grown by 6 since yesterday.

All outbreak numbers come from the World Health Organization's (WHO's) online Ebola dashboard. DRC officials have not released any reports on the outbreak since Aug 2.

Vancomycin-resistant Staph found in Egyptian camels, abbatoir workers

An investigation in Cairo has identified vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) in camel meat samples and slaughterhouse workers, Egyptian researchers reported in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control.

Italian hospital study finds improved use of pre-surgery antibiotics

A surveillance study of Italian hospitals found improved compliance with surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) guidelines over a 6-year period, Italian researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

NIH study will gauge immunogenicity of adjuvanted seasonal flu vaccines

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) yesterday announced that researchers have started enrolling participants in a phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate immunogenicity and safety of two licensed seasonal flu vaccines given with and without novel adjuvants.

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

Study links antibiotic use with onset of rheumatoid arthritis

A new study in BMC Medicine suggests a possible link between antibiotic use and the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Adding beta-lactam to daptomycin improves MRSA outcomes, study finds

The addition of a beta-lactam antibiotic to daptomycin is associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (MRSA BSIs), researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Ohio senator reintroduces antibiotic resistance legislation

US Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, yesterday reintroduced legislation to strengthen the federal government's response to antibiotic resistance.

Study links rates of intrinsically resistant bacteria with acquired resistance

An analysis of data from routine antibiotic susceptibility testing in 30 European countries shows a strong correlation between the rates of intrinsically antibiotic-resistant bacterial species and the rates of acquired resistance in gram-negative bacterial species, a team of European researchers reported today in Eurosurveillance.

New CARB-X funding announced for Staphylococcus vaccine candidate

CARB-X yesterday announced additional funding to expand development of a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus.

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

New CARB-X funding announced for Staphylococcus vaccine candidate

CARB-X yesterday announced additional funding to expand development of a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus.