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

Early education boosts students' antibiotic savvy, study finds

A hands-on educational program dramatically increased primary school students' knowledge of antibiotic action and use, according to a study yesterday in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents.

Yemen receives large cholera supply shipment

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday that a shipment containing 400 tons of equipment and supplies, including ambulances, arrived in Yemen on Jun 30 to help with the country's cholera outbreak.

New Saudi MERS case confirmed as WHO details Lebanese man's illness

Saudi Arabia yesterday reported one new MERS-CoV case, involving a 57-year-old Saudi woman from Hail, and the World Health Organization (WHO) provided a detailed report on a recently announced imported infection detected in Lebanon.

National guidelines in France tied to drop in ED antibiotic use

After France implemented national guidelines in 2011, antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in children in emergency departments (EDs) dropped 31% over 3 years, representing more than 13,000 avoided antibiotic prescriptions, according to data presented yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Monitoring winds down for contacts in Riyadh hospital clusters

Monitoring of contacts identified in three recent MERS-CoV hospital clusters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ended on Jun 30, and no other cases have been detected, keeping the total number of people infected in the recent outbreaks to 49, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an update on the disease.

Study finds MRSA associated with higher costs, longer hospital stays

A study yesterday in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control found that patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Norway have longer hospital stays and incur higher costs than those without MRSA.

More babies born in the US with Zika-related birth defects

According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are now 88 babies born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects, an increase of 8 since the last report. The number of pregnancy losses showing Zika-related birth defects remains at 8.

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

Study finds MRSA associated with higher costs, longer hospital stays

A study yesterday in Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control found that patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Norway have longer hospital stays and incur higher costs than those without MRSA.

Cholera outbreaks expand; Yemen's total nears 300,000

Cholera outbreaks in countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean region have reached a critical point, and the WHO and its partners are scaling up efforts to reduce the risk of spread to unaffected areas and neighboring countries, the agency said in a statement today.

Study: Meningitis vaccine associated with reduced rates of gonorrhea

Researchers in New Zealand report today in The Lancet that exposure to the outer-membrane vesical meningococcal B vaccine (MeNZB) was associated with reduced rates of gonorrhea in a retrospective case-control study. It's the first time a vaccine has shown any protection against the sexually transmitted infection.

Canada reports first case of Candida auris

Canadian researchers are reporting the first case of the drug-resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris in Canada.

Cholera vaccination plans dim for Yemen; more needed for South Sudan battle

The World Health Organization (WHO) may reverse a decision it made a month ago to launch a cholera vaccine campaign in Yemen, due to the aggressive spread of the disease and conflict conditions in the country, the New York Times reported today, citing a WHO spokesman who updated reporters at a briefing in Geneva today.

Simple molecular typing, hospital data tracks antimicrobial resistance in low-resource settings

Basic molecular typing and routine hospital data can be used in resource-limited settings to do lab surveillance of antimicrobial resistance organizations, according to researchers in Sri Lanka who reported their findings yesterday in BMC Infectious Diseases.

Study finds high resistance to first-line MDR-TB drug in Georgia

More than half of the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) isolates tested in the Republic of Georgia were resistant to one of the first-line treatments for the disease, researchers reported yesterday in BMC Infectious Diseases.

CDC: total in backyard poultry Salmonella outbreaks rises by 418

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new numbers on current outbreaks of Salmonella illnesslinked to backyard poultry. Since the last update on Jun 1, there have been 418 more cases, raising the total number of cases this year to 790, reported in 10 multistate outbreaks. The outbreaks involve 10 different Salmonella subtypes.

New case of measles in Minnesota reported

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said there was a new case of measles in an adult who visited several public places while infectious. The new case brings the total to 79 for Minnesota's ongoing measles outbreak.

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

Study finds high resistance to first-line MDR-TB drug in Georgia

Originally published by CIDRAP News Jul 13

Infant case series suggests Zika eye problems can occur apart from brain defects

A case series of 112 babies born to Brazilian mothers who had confirmed Zika infections found that 21.4% had eye abnormalities with the potential to impair sight, with the condition sometimes seen on its own without microcephaly or other central nervous system (CNS) problems. Researchers from Brazil reported in JAMA Pediatrics today.

Texas reports rise in Cyclospora cases

The Texas Department of State Health Services said today that clinicians should consider testing patients who complain of lingering diarrhea for Cyclospora, a parasite that can cause severe diarrheal illness.

More antibiotic prescriptions in UK coming from non-medical prescribers

A retrospective analysis of antibiotic prescriptions in England published yesterday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy found that nearly 8% of all antibiotics dispensed in primary care are prescribed by non-medical prescribers (NMPs), mostly nurses.

MERS diagnosed later in older patients

A study yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases that measured the time between symptom onset and diagnosis in 537 patients with MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia found that patients were diagnosed 0 to 36 days after symptoms appeared, with a median of 4 days.

Codex Alimentarius to revise guidelines on AMR in the food chain

Members of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) food standards–setting body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, agreed yesterday to update guidelines aimed at reducing antimicrobial resistance along the food chain.

Lab-related Salmonella outbreak sickens 24 in 16 states

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced a multistate Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak linked to microbiology laboratories that has sickened 24 people in 16 states. The infections have been associated with clinical, commercial, and teaching labs.

MRSA emerged long before methicillin was introduced, researchers find

A study today in Genome Biology suggests methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) emerged several years before methicillin was used to treat S aureus infections.

FDA announces more state support for FSMA produce safety rule

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, yesterday announced the second year of funding to states—totaling $30.9 million—to support the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).