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Study shows decline in C difficile incidence at VA hospitals

A retrospective analysis of Veterans Administration (VA) patients who had stool testing for Clostridiodes difficile shows an overall decrease in C difficile infection (CDI) over the course of a decade, with temporal increases linked to implementation of molecular testing methods, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Study: Pre-surgical antibiotic prescriptions often inappropriate

A new study that surveyed 22.5% of Australia's hospitals from January 2016 through June 2018 found that surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) was often inappropriate, because of both incorrect timing and overly long treatment. The study appears in JAMA Network Open.

Latest Scottish report shows drop in antibiotic use, stable resistance levels

In an annual report for 2018, public health officials in Scotland yesterday said total antibiotic use in humans has dropped by 6.2% since 2014, and resistance has stayed mainly stable.

The findings, from Health Protection Scotland, for the first time include data on animal antimicrobial use from small-animal veterinary practices and data on environmental antimicrobial resistance.

AHRQ publishes stewardship toolkit for hospitals

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new toolkit to improve antibiotic use in acute care hospitals.

Paper calls for more engagement on dental antibiotic stewardship

A paper today in Clinical Infectious Diseases calls for more engagement between antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs), dentists, and orthopedic surgeons to curb unnecessary dental antibiotic prophylaxis.

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

Paper calls for more engagement on dental antibiotic stewardship

A paper today in Clinical Infectious Diseases calls for more engagement between antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs), dentists, and orthopedic surgeons to curb unnecessary dental antibiotic prophylaxis.

Audit finds EU efforts to fight antibiotic resistance are lacking

A new report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA) argues that while some progress has been made, European Union (EU) leaders need to do more to address the health burden of antibiotic resistance.

European health group releases 'roadmap' to address antibiotic resistance

The European Public Health Alliance's Stakeholder Network on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has released a roadmap outlining the path European leaders should take in their efforts to fight drug-resistant infections.

Emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary, "One Health" approach, the roadmap calls for European Union (EU) member states and institutions to pursue five strategies against AMR:

Study on CRE in US military health system notes high risk of death

A study of hospitalized patients in the US military health system database shows that carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections are associated with longer and more costly hospitalizations and a significant increase in the risk of in-hospital death, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Tennessee data highlight small group of high antibiotic prescribers

An analysis of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in Tennessee in 2016 shows that a small number of prescribers were responsible for a "dramatically disproportionate" number of prescriptions, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

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

Tennessee data highlight small group of high antibiotic prescribers

An analysis of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in Tennessee in 2016 shows that a small number of prescribers were responsible for a "dramatically disproportionate" number of prescriptions, researchers reported today in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Educational stewardship program tied to better antibiotic prescribing

A comprehensive educational antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) implemented in 214 Spanish primary care clinics was tied to improved use of antibiotics and a sustained reduction of infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli, according to a new study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Scientists develop genotype-phenotype rapid susceptibility test

Scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that a diagnostic test they developed allows simultaneous detection of genotype and phenotype, enabling rapid and accurate antibiotic susceptibility determination in under 4 hours, according to their findings detailed in a letter in Nature Medicine.

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

Scientists develop genotype-phenotype rapid susceptibility test

Originally published by CIDRAP News Nov 27

Non–beta-lactam allergy not nearly as common as reported, study finds

A study of Australian children has found that only 1 in 5 with a reported non–beta-lactam antibiotic (NBLA) allergy had a true allergy, Australian researchers reported today in Pediatrics.

FDA approves test that speeds MRSA screening

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a new test to diagnose methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which will allow health workers to screen patients for MRSA colonization more quickly—in as little as 5 hours compared with 24 to 48 hours for traditional culture-based tests.

Study: Mandatory surveillance of priority pathogens lacking in Europe

A review of national documents shows that fewer than half of European countries have implemented publicly accessible mandatory surveillance of at least one of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) priority pathogens, European researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

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

Stewardship intervention at VA clinics shows durable success, study finds

A multifaceted outpatient stewardship intervention at Veterans Affairs primary care clinics in Pennsylvania was associated with sustained reductions in overall, unnecessary, and suboptimal antibiotic prescription rates for up to a year after some components were discontinued, researchers reported today in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Study probes increasing use of cefdinir in Kentucky children

A review of Medicaid claims in Kentucky from 2012 through 2016 found that cefdinir prescriptions for treating outpatient pediatric infections has increased over the study period, researchers based at the University of Kentucky reported today in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

Report details 19-case XDR Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak in Germany

Additional surveillance following a 17-case outbreak in northeastern Germany of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae has revealed 2 additional cases and details on the XDR strain, according to a study today in Eurosurveillance.

UK study supports whole-genome sequencing for resistance surveillance

New research by a team of scientists from the United Kingdom suggests that whole-genome sequencing (WGS) should be considered as an alternative to traditional phenotypic testing for national surveillance of antibiotic resistance.

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

UK study supports whole-genome sequencing for resistance surveillance

New research by a team of scientists from the United Kingdom suggests that whole-genome sequencing (WGS) should be considered as an alternative to traditional phenotypic testing for national surveillance of antibiotic resistance.

BARDA to fund development of antibiotics for resistant gram-negatives

San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company Qpex Biopharma today announced it will receive a second round of funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a portfolio of antibiotics targeting antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria.

Contact with puppies tied to MDR Campylobacter in 13 states

Puppies from Petland pet stores are again implicated in a multistate outbreak of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Campylobacter infections, this time affecting at least 30 people in 13 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday in an update.