Antimicrobial Stewardship

With spring here and tick bites on the rise, Andrew Handel, MD, provides tips on prevention as well as when to consider medical care for a bite.

The growing incidence of resistant Gram-negative infections in hospitals is being fueled by evolving resistance mechanisms, antibiotic overuse, and the rapid global spread of mobile genetic elements. Mariana Castanheira, PhD, FIDSA, FAAM, chief scientific officer at JMI Laboratories, discusses this topic and an agent with utility against pathogens carrying Metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs).

Mortality rates from treatment-resistant gram-negative infections remain high despite increased use of newer antibiotics and corresponding susceptibility testing.

New real-world data from the CIRCE study underscore cefiderocol’s potential in treating metallo-beta-lactamase–producing Enterobacterales infections, particularly among critically ill and immunocompromised patients with limited therapeutic options. Christine Slover, PharmD, offers some insights around the study and these infections.

A major international study reveals that World Health Organization-recommended first-line antibiotics are effective in only one in four neonatal sepsis infections in low- and middle-income countries, underscoring the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

AMR Action Fund CEO Henry Skinner, PhD, MBE, provides insights around the legislation including its implementation challenges which may be slowing its path to passage despite bipartisan support in Congress as well as growing recognition of the global antimicrobial resistance crisis.

In the final episode of the short series, Akhila Kosaraju, MD, talks about changing the development paradigm and moving away from reengineering molecules of existing antibiotic classes and towards creating new ones.

In the second episode of this short series, Akhila Kosaraju, MD, talks about how Phare Bio and Basilea Pharmaceuticals are partnering to develop antimicrobials taking them from AI molecules to clinical trials.

A new study shows that strain-level surveillance of Staphylococcus aureus in NICUs can identify hidden transmission pathways and enable targeted interventions to reduce serious infections in vulnerable newborns.

Akhila Kosaraju, MD, provides insights around how AI is moving towards an accelerated pace of antimicrobial development in hopes of getting molecules into clinical trials and approved much faster than the current paradigm.

Shionogi has been awarded a major US government contract to scale domestic manufacturing and expand the use of its antibiotic cefiderocol to combat antimicrobial resistance and high-priority biothreat pathogens.

The inaugural MAD-ID and SIDP 2026 meeting aims to provide new infectious diseases education offerings, dynamic speakers, and strong networking opportunities for younger clinicians. SIDP President Erin McCreary, PharmD, BCIDP, FIDSA, offers some insights around the upcoming event.

TAXIS Pharmaceuticals Chief Scientific Officer Ajit Parhi, PhD, offers some insights on the disease burden, and an overview of his company’s pipeline around developing a therapy for this STI.

A new meta-analysis finds alarming increases in colistin resistance among Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa across Africa, threatening the effectiveness of one of the last-resort antibiotics.

The World Health Organization has released 3 new target product profiles aimed at guiding the development of urgently needed antibiotics for severe drug-resistant infections, including multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections, resistant gram-positive infections in vulnerable patients, and bacterial meningitis.

Peptilogics has enrolled the first patient in its RETAIN trial evaluating PLG0206, a first-in-class anti-biofilm therapy designed to treat prosthetic joint infections.

Emerging preclinical, compassionate-use, and randomized trial data suggest phage-antibiotic combinations may benefit select patients with multidrug-resistant infections, yet critical gaps in standardization and evidence remain.

In 2025, the Infectious Diseases Society of America published the first part of an update to the clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and management of GAS pharyngitis. Here is an overview of the risk assessment and antibiotic treatment of GAS pharyngitis.

Ceftolozane-tazobactam cure rate for multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections is higher than with aminoglycosides/polymyxins and comparable to ceftazidime-avibactam.

This week, listen in on commentary around the potential removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the US market, read about FDA's refusal to review Moderna's influenza vaccine, CDC's investigation on invasive E coli, and more.

IDSA’s Amanda Jezek provides the latest update on the legislative bill, including some of its features, its methodology for assigning antimicrobials to the subscription model, and how anyone can advocate for the bill with Congress.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) characterizes epidemiology, serotype and treatment resistance of extraintestinal invasive Escherichia coli, the most common pathogen in community-onset sepsis.

A large international study published in The Lancet shows that obesity substantially increases the risk of severe illness and death from most infectious diseases, potentially accounting for more than 10% of infection-related deaths worldwide.

This week, listen in on commentary around the ongoing measles outbreak, read our new Antibiotics Deconstructed column on IV fosfomycin, review data on metformin preventing long COVID, insights on diagnostic stewardship, and more.

The FDA recently approved intravenous fosfomycin (Contepo), which is a new option for adults with complicated urinary tract infections, including those caused by resistant Gram-negative pathogens. Here is an overview of the therapeutic including its mechanism of action, data, availability, and prospective costs.