Antibiotics

Brad Spellberg, MD, highlights research that indicate shorter courses of therapy are safer and as effective as longer ones, as well as the importance of randomized controlled trials.

Despite concerning findings and warnings, fluoroquinolones have remained one of the world’s most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes, with the United States accounting for more than 32 million prescriptions in 2015 alone.

Building on decades-old research, scientists in France say they’ve developed an effective rectal delivery formulation of an antibiotic used to save infants with life-threatening neonatal sepsis.

A new study by investigators in Japan finds that earlier antibiotic stewardship intervention decreased antibiotic usage and costs and were associated with reduced rates of antibiotic resistance.

Because of the recent concern in the United States around the rise of resistant pathogens, intravenous fosfomycin has gained renewed interest because of its activity and demonstrated synergy with other classes of antibiotics.

The system allows for the rapid identification of bacteria directly from positive blood cultures, and can determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of the blood-borne pathogens.

Use of the FDA–cleared Accelerate Pheno blood culture detection system can shorten the time required to analyze patients’ blood samples leading to improved clinical outcomes, according to the results of a recent study.

Key considerations when choosing a treatment for gram-negative nosocomial infections include the patient’s referring facility.

The globalization of antibiotic stewardship programs is necessary in the fight against antibiotic resis­tance.

As knowledge and awareness of rising antimicrobial resistance increase, clinicians must continue to adopt strategies for improving antibiotic use.

A study of more than 500 outpatient clinics reveals a new view of antibiotic overprescribing practices in the United States.

Investigators from the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a strategy to fight antibiotic-resistant E coli using genetic disruption.

Efforts such as improved indication documentation and antimicrobial stewardship involvement may improve patient outcomes in some patients who are on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) for ease of administration (EOA) that are readmitted to the hospital.

New software to facilitate prior authorization helped streamline the approval process and increase antimicrobial use tracking at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Study results indicate that clinicians start prescribing new drugs off-label almost as soon as the drugs become available.

Researcher give insight into the importance of antibiograms in outpatient management of urinary tract infections

A look into the challenges of including infection preventionists in antimicrobial stewardship programs.

New surveillance report sheds light on meningococcal disease rates among HIV-infected MSM.

Plenty of research has gone into the causes and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Now a new effort aims to make the case that scientists have been looking in the wrong direction.

Investigators find iclaprim to be active against a worldwide collection of drug-susceptible and drug-resistant beta-hemolytic streptococci from patients with skin and skin structure infections.

By itself, the POET trial should not fundamentally change the current approach to infective endocarditis treatment.

The program calls for new research and development incentives, veterinary stewardship, and enhanced surveillance.

We’ve rounded up a list of important US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalls from this past week.

Stay up-to-date on the latest infectious disease news by checking out our top 5 articles of the week.

A new study underscores components to antimicrobial resistance that we may be ignoring.

Findings from a pair of studies from investigators in Israel suggest that probiotic supplements may not be as beneficial as previously thought.

Julie Ann Justo, PharmD, MS, BCPS-AQ ID, explains how rapid diagnostics interplay with prediction scores in antimicrobial stewardship programs.

We’ve rounded up a list of important US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recalls from this past week.

Do ancient medicinal treatments hold potential for future antimicrobial efforts?

The conventional approach to fighting resistant E coli infections typically involves the use of no more than 2 antibiotics; however, combining as many as 5 may be the trick to fighting these infections.