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Investigative report finds widespread colistin use in Indian poultry

A new story by the UK-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism alleges the last-resort antibiotic colistin is being widely used on Indian poultry farms, despite worldwide concerns that using the drug in food-producing animals could render it ineffective.

More yellow fever cases, deaths reported in Brazil

A new report from Brazil's Ministry of Health showed a steady rise in the number of yellow fever cases confirmed and suspected since an update posted last week. There are now 213 confirmed cases, 83 more than last week, and 1,080 suspected cases, an increase of 479 since the previous report.

Report: More oversight, data needed on antibiotic use in food animals

A report today from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling on the two federal agencies responsible for ensuring the safety of the food supply to address oversight gaps and collect more information on the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals.

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

Report: More oversight, data needed on antibiotic use in food animals

Originally published by CIDRAP News Mar 16

Low-path H7N9 confirmed in one of Alabama's outbreaks

Alabama officials have received results on samples collected from one of the state's recently announced avian flu outbreaks, indicating low-pathogenic H7N9 detected in guinea fowl at the TaCo-Bet Trade Day flea market in Jackson County.

Saudi MOH: 2 new MERS cases, 3 deaths

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two new cases of MERS and three deaths in previously reported patients in recent days. Both of the new cases were linked to camel contact.

Nut butter E coli outbreak grows to 23 cases; strain found in products

Seven more Escherichia coli O157:H7 illnesses have been reported in a multistate outbreak linked to soy nut butter from an Illinois company, raising the total so far to 23, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

H5N1 strikes again in Vietnam as European countries report more H5N8

Vietnam today reported another highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu outbreak, as two European countries—Romania and Slovenia—reported several more H5N8 outbreaks in wild birds and poultry, according to the latest updates from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

Study finds heat-stable rotavirus vaccine effective in preschoolers in Niger

An inexpensive heat-stable rotavirus vaccine was shown to be 67% effective in a resource-poor setting in Africa, providing renewed hope for addressing the deadly diarrhea-causing disease in children, a study today in the New England Journal of Medicine reported.

Alabama reports one more low-path H7N9 avian flu outbreak

Animal health officials in Alabama yesterday reported one more low-pathogenic H7N9 avian influenza outbreak, this time affecting a commercial farm in Cullman County, located in the north central part of the state, not far from where earlier events occurred.

Review finds drug resistance is not just a problem with hospital infections

A new study in Clinical Infectious Diseases has found that antibiotic resistance has a significant clinical impact for patients with common infections managed in the community.

Researchers report high prevalence of MDR bacteria in Myanmar

Researchers in Myanmar are reporting high prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria among bloodstream isolates from patients at hospitals in the country's largest city.

Eighteen more H7N9 cases reported in China

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said today that the mainland reported 18 more H7N9 avian flu illnesses, 2 of them fatal, from Mar 17 to Mar 23, according to a regular weekly update.

After an unusually large surge of cases in December, China's H7N9 cases peaked in February. Though cases are declining, the country continues to report a steady stream of infections from a number of provinces.

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

Researchers report high prevalence of MDR bacteria in Myanmar

Researchers in Myanmar are reporting high prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria among bloodstream isolates from patients at hospitals in the country's largest city.

NIH announces semifinalists in bacterial diagnostic competition

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today said it has selected 10 semifinalists in the first phase of a federal prize competition that will award up to $20 million for innovative tests that can rapidly diagnose bacterial infections and identify antibiotic resistant bacteria.

New camel-related MERS case reported in Saudi Arabia

After of week of no updates, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported a new case of MERS-COV today in a man who had direct contact with camels.

The 54-year-old Saudi man lives in Al Kharj, and is in stable condition after presenting with symptoms of MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). He had direct exposure to camels, which can transmit the disease to humans.

WHO adds details about two recent H5N1 cases in Egypt

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently fleshed out the details of two H5N1 avian flu cases, one of them fatal, reported from Egypt in late February. News of the human illnesses were first noted in a pair of notifications to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which had little information about the cases. The WHO shared more complete information in its monthly update on flu at the human-animal interface.

Research grants target of Trump's new $1.2 billion NIH budget cuts

More details emerged today on President Donald Trump's proposed budget, including plans to drastically cut research grant funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the current fiscal year, which ends in October.

German GP antibiotic prescribing for respiratory illness found wanting

German general practitioners (GPs) follow national guidance on prescribing antibiotics for acute lower respiratory infections only about a quarter of the time, according to a study yesterday in PLoS One.

Researchers analyzed data from 2009 to 2013 from electronic health records of 12,880 patients. GPs prescribed antibiotics in 41% of consultations.

Another camel-related MERS case confirmed in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health (MOH) reported one new case of MERS-CoV today in a woman who had indirect contact with camels.

Experts theorize why Brazil had fewer microcephaly cases in 2016 than 2015

A new letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine attempts to explain why Brazil saw fewer babies born with microcephaly in 2016 as compared to 2015, despite more suspected Zika infections. The authors suggest that 2016's second wave of Zika infections could have actually been another flavivirus, such as chikungunya.

CDC: Six more pediatric deaths from influenza, more hospitalizations

There were six more pediatric influenza deaths reported in the last week, according to today's FluView from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last week, the CDC reported only two such deaths. So far, there have been 61 pediatric deaths during the 2016-17 flu season.

Legislation calls for tax credits for new antibiotics, diagnostic tests

US lawmakers today introduced legislation that would provide a tax credit for new antibiotics and diagnostic tests.

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

Legislation calls for tax credits for new antibiotics, diagnostic tests

US lawmakers today introduced legislation that would provide a tax credit for new antibiotics and diagnostic tests.

Two more MERS cases confirmed in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia reported two new MERS-CoV cases over the weekend, including a case in an asymptomatic healthcare worker who contracted the virus in a healthcare setting.