Kenneth Bender, PharmD, MA

The 2025 report from the WHO Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance System (GLASS) calls for urgent action against increasing threat of AMR. This is part 2 of 2-part coverage of the WHO Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance System Report 2025.

The Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) of the WHO finds antibiotic resistance and the particular threat of resistant Gram-negative bacteria disproportionately prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Here is part 1 of 2-part coverage of the WHO Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report.

Cefiderocol is noninferior to standard of care empiric treatment of noscomial Gram-negative bloodstream infections in open-label "Game-Changer" trial.

AI predicted mechanism of action for investigational, narrow spectrum antibiotic against pathogens in Crohn's disease and IBD-related conditions.

Stewardship programs that reduce initial use of extended-spectrum antibiotics appear to influence antibiotic choice throughout hospitalization.

Low vaccination rates did not rise sufficiently to attain "herd immunity" after a measles outbreak in a region in which it had been eliminated.

CDC survey found increased vaccination coverage among adolescents in 2024, with the exception of HPV, as childhood vaccinations decline.

Ciprofloxacin monotherapy was non-inferior to aminoglycoside/ciprofloxacin combination for bubonic plague in multi-year trial in endemic region.

A multi-prong approach reduces inappropriate antibiotic prescribing to outpatients with upper respiratory tract infection.

CDC found 6.9% of those testing positive for Candida auris colonization on skin develop invasive infection, and calls for better surveillance and prevention.

Shortening the OraQuick HCV antibody test from 20 to 5 minutes reduced false positives and unnecessary follow-up RNA testing, but detected fewer viremic individuals.

A wearable health monitor synced with a smartphone app could enable remote detection of early SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The role of oral vancomycin in preventing recurrence of C difficile infection (CDI) in at-risk persons receiving systemic antibiotic for non-CDI infection remains unclear after randomized trial.

Study findings underscore value of obtaining sputum culture prior to initiating antibiotics for greater detection of pathogens without opportunistic bacteria of uncertain clinical relevance.

Long-acting lipoglycopeptides were as effective as daily standard-of-care antibiotics in step-down regimens for serious infections.

Bacteria genetically engineered to express human chemokine to enhance wound healing demonstrates direct activity against MDR bacteria in-vitro.

An "alarmingly" wide treatment gap for antimicrobial-resistant infections in under resourced countries is attributed to multiple factors including barriers to access.

Primaquine safely and effectively blocks malaria transmission across age-groups and different rates of regional transmission, leading to call for lower, pediatric-appropriate dose formulation.

The INSPIRE 3 trial demonstrates that computerized order entry recommendation prompts can reduce empiric use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in favor of targeted treatment for skin and soft tissue infections.

A surge in invasive group A Streptococcal (IGAS) infections in children marked by more virulent strains followed a reduction in cases coinciding with protective measures for the pandemic.

One hospital related the evolution of resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in its ICU to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients with suspected sepsis in the emergency department are twice as likely to survive at 28 days when antibiotics are started within 1 hour.

This is the second installment of a 2-part report on a new guideline on candidiasis from the European Confederation for Medical Mycology (ECMM) highlights selected treatment recommendations.

This first of a 2-part report on new guideline from the European Confederation for Medical Mycology (ECMM) summarizes diagnostic considerations; with part 2 describing recommended treatments.

A machine learning assessment agrees with an evaluation based on factors identified by infectious diseases experts that IDSA guidelines for treating uncomplicated UTI, last issued in 2011, remain valid today.

An inoculum effect in methicillin-susceptible S aureus infective endocarditis is suspected factor in higher all-cause 30-day mortality with cephazolin treatment than with oxacillin.

Levofloxacin was associated with statistically significant reduction in tuberculosis developing in household contacts of persons with multidrug- resistant TB in a meta-analysis, but not in the constituent controlled trials.

Children with invasive candidiasis had successful outcome whether IV antifungal treatment was completed or converted to enteral to reduce risk of infusion site infections and costs.

Oral omadacyline or linezolid was equally efficacious to intravenous dosing for acute bacterial skin infections, and associated with less cost and risks.

Promptly vaccinating the "ring" of contacts and contacts-of-contacts along with standard infection control measures interrupted Ebola transmission in the DRC.