Antimicrobial Stewardship

A new study highlights the growing threat of drug-resistant pathogens, particularly in healthcare settings, and underscores the need for enhanced surveillance and intervention strategies to combat these emerging and resistant infectious diseases.

This year's Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing provided updated breakpoints on therapies.

In the October Editor-in-Chief letter, Jason Gallagher PharmD, FCCP, FIDP, FIDSA, BCPS, writes about this novel antibiotic indicated for a targeted, resistant pathogen and its long-term viability.

A clinician discusses the ongoing challenges presented with critically ill patients and the timing and scope of antibiotic prescribing practices.

Resistance against this pathogen with β-lactamase medications can vary according to geographic region.

Steffanie Strathdee, PhD, had to navigate care for her husband who became gravely ill with a multidrug resistant bacterial infection while they were on vacation overseas. He recovered thanks to the use of phage therapy. From that experience, she has dedicated her life to getting phage therapy to the masses.

The Biden Administration addresses antimicrobial resistance with new project, company voluntarily recalls its antifungal, and a fatal case of the plague is reported in the US.

The subject is one where it does not garner the attention of other serious health topics, but key stakeholders say it should.

Sam Aitken, PharmD, president-elect of the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP), discusses how this strategy is one significant part of a complex puzzle to decrease antimicrobial resistance.

Hurricane season is accompanied by an uptick in infectious diseases associated with environmental and water exposures.

Through policy and fostering innovation, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is working towards reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Patient advocate Ella Balasa has been living with cystic fibrosis her whole life. She experienced a multidrug resistant infection in 2019 and is speaking about her personal experiences at the World AMR Congress reminding people about the need to improve the antibiotic development paradigm.

In preclinical studies, the antimicrobial, clovibactin, was shown to have susceptibility against a broad spectrum of pathogens and also worked against a specific bacteria in 2 animal studies.

This is a challenging pathogen, requiring pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations; the recent FDA approval of sulbactam-durlobactam offers new hope.

This conference is addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from different perspectives and look at strategies to reduce this global health problem.

Trial of standard vs short course antimicrobial treatment of uncomplicated UTI in children favors standard, but with caveat for early responders.

Five organizations have updated the 2014 compendium, "Strategies to Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission and Infection in Acute Care Hospitals." In doing so, they have elevated antimicrobial stewardship from an “additional practice” to an “essential practice.”

The Outpatient Automated Stewardship Information System (OASIS) is a platform that allows clinicians the ability to improve their prescribing practices in hopes of delivering a more judicious approach and moving towards stewardship.

The strategy for administering beta-lactam antibiotics for treating critically ill patients with sepsis showed no clinical difference in a study of continuous versus intermittent administration of meropenem.

Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungal pathogen, has become a significant concern in Israel. A recent study reveals a 30-fold increase in C auris cases in 2021, with a strong correlation to COVID-19 surges.

Though the drug is initially more expensive, treating C diff infection with fidaxomicin reduced costs overall by reducing CDI recurrences.

As the first line of acute care, emergency departments are key stewards of antibiotics.

So far, the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle has confirmed 33 patients have been infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria, 9 of whom have died.

New evidence suggests that oral transitional therapy may be a promising option for the treatment of infective endocarditis (IE). A retrospective cohort study reveals comparable clinical outcomes between oral and intravenous antibiotic regimens.

Unnecessary antibiotics for viral infections and incorrect prescriptions for bacterial infections have significant consequences, including increased adverse effects and healthcare expenditures.

An expert in infectious diseases reviews best practices for improving personalized medicine when treating complicated urinary tract infections and highlights the importance of antimicrobial stewardship.

Kim Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, comments on the effect of COVID-19 on the epidemiology of complicated UTIs, the use of antibiotics, and antimicrobial resistance.

An infectious disease clinical specialist shares treatment considerations for patients with complicated urinary tract infections, including for patients with comorbidities and older patients, and reviews antimicrobial therapies for multidrug-resistant UTIs.

Kim Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, provides insight on distinguishing between complicated and uncomplicated UTIs, and patients who are at high risk for developing complicated UTIs.