Antimicrobial Stewardship

Daptomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteremia is an emerging, high-mortality challenge in transplant and other high-risk patients, requiring early recognition, aggressive source control, and reliance on limited alternatives—most notably linezolid—with combination or salvage therapies considered when options are constrained.

This week's infectious disease news spans a broad-spectrum carbapenem review, an expanding jalapeño-linked salmonella recall, the EU approval of Maviret for acute hepatitis C, and clinician backlash against President Trump's executive order reshaping the childhood vaccine schedule.

Here is a brief clinical overview of the single-agent intravenous carbapenems available in the United States (ertapenem, meropenem, and imipenem-cilastatin) and the recently approved oral carbapenem tebipenem pivoxil.

International study estimates actual and optimal use of WHO AWaRe Access, Watch, and Reserve antibiotic classes in 186 countries and regions.

2026 clinical practice guidelines developed by the IDSA and ESCMID address risk stratification, diagnosis and management of S aureus bacteremia.

Sharon Nachman, MD, chief of pediatric infectious disease at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, explains why local resistance data, not just global forecasts, should drive today's empiric antibiotic choices in children.

A global surveillance study of more than 100,000 pediatric bacterial isolates found rising antimicrobial resistance across all regions from 2004 to 2022, with forecasts projecting continued increases in resistance to last-line antibiotics through 2035.

Zoliflodacin has exhibited low cross-resistance with FQ-resistant and ceftriaxone- and azithromycinresistant in strains of N gonorrhoeae around the world. Here is a review of this recently approved antibiotic.

Basecamp Research's EDEN AI model, now integrated with Claude Science, designed antibiotic peptides active against 97% of WHO priority pathogens in lab tests, including MDR Acinetobacter baumannii, and can reduce vaccine target prioritization from weeks to a single AI conversation.

A multicenter retrospective study found that the DENOVi clinical prediction score can safely help rule out infective endocarditis in patients with enterococcal bacteremia while reducing unnecessary echocardiography.

The FDA has accepted Shionogi's supplemental New Drug Application seeking to expand the indication for cefiderocol (Fetroja) to pediatric patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia and complicated urinary tract infections caused by susceptible Gram-negative bacteria, with a regulatory decision expected in February 2027.

This week, read about how laboratory antimicrobial susceptibility results may not predict clinical outcomes, watch a clinician discuss the DOTS and PETERPEN trials, the FDA has granted Priority Review to expand dolutegravir use to newborns with HIV, and more.

Standard susceptibility testing is performed under controlled conditions that often fail to reflect real-world infections, leading to potential misinterpretation of antibiotic activity in patients with bacteremia.

Results from the global SNAP trial find penicillin as effective as, and safer than, cloxacillin or flucloxacillin for penicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Results from the SNAP global trial find cefazolin as effective and safer than the antistaphylococcal penicillins cloxacillin or flucloxacillin for methicillin-sensitive S aureus bacteremia.

A look back at Q2 2026's most significant infectious disease developments, including landmark FDA approvals, a historic hantavirus outbreak, and an update on a mRNA influenza vaccine.

In May 2026, the FDA approved a combination product of cefepime and zidebactam for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis, providing a new treatment option for multidrug-resistant gram-negative organisms. Here is a clinical overview of the newly approved antibiotic.

The FDA has approved tebipenem pivoxil (Utebzi), the first oral carbapenem antibiotic in the US for adults with complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis, providing an effective oral alternative to IV therapy for many patients with resistant infections.

Meta-analysis finds approximately 1% of well-appearing outpatient infants aged 60 to 90 days with fever have an invasive bacterial infection.

Effectiveness of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with doxycycline for chlamydia and syphilis comes with increase in resistant gonorrhea.

Fluoroquinolones are broadly active and convenient, but black box warnings and resistance concerns have reshaped when and how clinicians should use them.

A 5-day course of nitrofurantoin was found superior to single-dose fosfomycin for uncomplicated UTI in women, prompting investigators to recommend choosing efficacy over convenience.

Preclinical in vitro and animal models remain essential for establishing antibiotic pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic targets, but experts say translating those findings into real-world patient care requires careful consideration of host factors, tissue penetration, and clinical context.

Leaders from SIDP and MAD-ID highlighted their new partnership and announced the launch of the Antimicrobials meeting in 2027, focused on combining cutting-edge science with clinical antimicrobial practice.

Meera Mehta, PharmD, says OPAT programs should move away from a “one-size-fits-all” monitoring model and instead tailor laboratory follow-ups based on patient risk factors, antimicrobial toxicity, and quality-of-life considerations.