C. Difficile

Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses the aggressiveness of infection prevention strategies to stop Clostridium difficile outbreaks.

Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, Health Systems Director of Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention, Montefiore Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses limitations to C. difficile testing that could impact stewardship practices in healthcare facilities.

Research coming in from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston shows that when it comes to treating those with C. difficile, frozen and freeze-dried products for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation are nearly as effective as fresh product.

News on Heliobacter pylori, Zika, Clostridium difficile, Powassan virus, and influenza make up the top 5 news articles from Contagion® in March 2017.

On March 30, 2017, at the SHEA Spring 2017 Conference, Thomas Sandora, MD, MPH, shared some tips regarding ways to manage movement outside of the room for patients who are on contact precautions.

Contagion® will be covering the conference, and so keep a look out for session coverage, as well as interviews with some of the key presenters.

In case you missed them, our top 5 articles for the week of March 19, 2017 are highlighted here.

Duke Health researchers have found that a UVC machine use can reduce transmission of harmful superbugs in hospital settings.

As emerging infectious diseases and resistant bugs become a growing issue, the need for stronger disinfectants becomes even more vital.

On March 5, 2017, at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), Gary Huang, MD, PhD, explained his research team's findings regarding self-reported allergy to drugs containing β-lactams.

Robin Jump, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University sat down with Contagion™ to discuss up-and-coming prevention methods for C. diff in the hospital setting.

In a new study, researchers found that patients with severe Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections who were treated with vancomycin had lower mortality rates than patients who were treated with metronidazole.

A new study from the United Kingdom highlights the importance of antibiotic restriction in the reduction of hospital-acquired C. difficile infections.

Researchers found the experimental vaccine could potentially inhibit severe diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis by inducing a functional antibody response that can neutralize the two main disease-causing toxins (toxin A or B) produced by C. difficile.

A new study has provided more evidence to show that certain heartburn medications may make individuals more susceptible to gastrointestinal infections.

A new study takes a look at the efficacy of off-label treatments for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection.

Under a program established through the Affordable Care Act, 769 US hospitals will receive Medicare reimbursement reductions due to the high rates of hospital-acquired infections.

In mid-November, the CDC released the “Core Elements of Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship.”

A study from University of Washington researchers uncovers how hospital laundry facilities may harbor dangerous Clostridium difficile spores, creating a potential community source for the bacterial pathogen.

Lauri A. Hicks, DO, captain, US Public Health Service, director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, medical director, Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains how antibiotics can be harmful if they are not used appropriately.

Researchers at University of Chicago Medicine have created an antibiotic stewardship training program for internal medicine residents that incorporates social media platforms, offering a technological tool for a growing health problem.

A study using different criteria for urine testing than those outlined by the current Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guidelines, has proven to cut down on the testing of urine samples and inappropriate use of antimicrobials.

Doctors at the Children’s Hospital Colorado have published their research on a new approach to antibiotic stewardship, with promising reductions in antibiotic use and rates of Clostridium difficile.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck’s Zinplava, a monoclonal antibody that will reduce recurrence of Clostridium difficile in high risk patients.

As hospitals continue to search for new ways to limit their number of patients acquiring Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections, a new study shows promise in the use of ultraviolet light technology for ridding patient rooms of highly resistant C. difficile spores.

With the use of antibiotics remaining high and steady in American hospitals and healthcare facilities, new rules on infection prevention and antibiotic use are set to bring changes to thousands of nursing homes, nationwide.

Consumer Reports recently evaluated more than 3,100 hospitals in the United States and found that about a third of them received a low rating for controlling infections from Clostridium difficile.

According to newly published research, high levels of zinc changes microbiota in the gut decreasing resistance to infections from Clostridium difficile.

As so-called “superbug” bacteria continue to develop new ways of resisting antibiotics, scientists are on the search for new and alternative treatments. Promising news from a recent study is now showing that we may be able to battle the most virulent strains of the Clostridium difficile bacteria with a class of drugs already on the market.

When the colistin-resistant gene, mcr-1, was first found in China in 2015, health officials around the world knew that the gene would inevitably appear in their countries. It has since been detected in other parts of Asia, Europe, and North America, including Canada, which just released a 2016 report from their Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System.