Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2017/01/stewardship-resistance-scan-jan-06-2017
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Jan 06, 2017
VA MRSA decline; Predatory pathogen research
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship; MRSA
[h=3]Study finds MRSA infections in significant decline at VA hospitals[/h] An initiative to reduce rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections at Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals continues to be associated with marked declines, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The study, in which investigators from the Veterans Health Administration examined monthly data from a national database that included 127 acute-care facilities, 22 spinal cord injury units (SCIUs), and 133 long-term care facilities (LTCFs), found that from October 2007 through September 2015, monthly MRSA healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates fell by 87% in intensive care units (ICUs), 80.1% in non-ICUs, and 80.9% in SCIUs. From July 2009 through September 2015, MRSA HAIs declined by 49.4% in LTCFs.
All declines were statistically significant. In September 2015, there were only 2 MRSA HAIs reported in ICUs, 20 in non-ICUs, and 31 in LTCFs nationwide.
The study supports trends that were first observed when the investigators measured monthly MRSA HAI rates from October 2007 through June 2012. The VA's MRSA Prevention Initiative began in 2007, in response to high rates of MRSA infections at VA hospitals.
The authors suggest that the bundle of infection control interventions introduced under the initiative, such as universal active surveillance; unit-to-unit transfer, and discharge; contact precautions for those colonized or infected with MRSA; a continued emphasis on hand hygiene; and an overall institutional culture change likely all played a role in driving down MRSA HAIs. But they suspect that active surveillance might be the most significant factor, given that other interventions had been in place prior to the initiative.
"Understanding how and why rates of MRSA have diminished in recent years is essential for the continued progress of effective prevention programs," lead study author Martin E. Evans, MD, said in a press release from Elsevier, the journal's publisher. "As we seek to protect patients from MRSA and other resistant organisms, our study supports the need for strong infection prevention programs at every healthcare facility."
January Am J Infect Control study
Jan 5 Elsevier Health Sciences press release
[h=3]Pew: Predatory pathogen program could help fight drug resistance[/h] A new analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts says a research program aimed at examining the potential of predatory pathogens to fight antibiotic-resistant infections could be a model for research into other novel treatments for drug-resistant bacteria.
The Pathogen Predators program, led by a team of researchers funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is using a framework that will help move investigations from basic research to clinically relevant studies by asking a series of guiding questions. Those questions include whether predatory pathogens will be toxic to the organisms they are meant to treat, what kind of bacterial infections they are effective against, and whether bacteria could develop resistance to these pathogens over time.
Pew says that the Pathogen Predators program, which involves a collection of scientists from a variety of disciplines, has already begun to generate promising data on the effects of predatory bacteria on infections in animals, which could provide support for later testing in humans.
"If successful, the Pathogen Predators program will help lay the groundwork for safe and efficacious novel treatments for bacterial diseases," the authors write, adding that the model deserves attention from academic institutions, governments, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders working to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Jan 5 Pew Charitable Trusts analysis
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Jan 06, 2017
VA MRSA decline; Predatory pathogen research
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship; MRSA
[h=3]Study finds MRSA infections in significant decline at VA hospitals[/h] An initiative to reduce rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections at Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals continues to be associated with marked declines, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The study, in which investigators from the Veterans Health Administration examined monthly data from a national database that included 127 acute-care facilities, 22 spinal cord injury units (SCIUs), and 133 long-term care facilities (LTCFs), found that from October 2007 through September 2015, monthly MRSA healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates fell by 87% in intensive care units (ICUs), 80.1% in non-ICUs, and 80.9% in SCIUs. From July 2009 through September 2015, MRSA HAIs declined by 49.4% in LTCFs.
All declines were statistically significant. In September 2015, there were only 2 MRSA HAIs reported in ICUs, 20 in non-ICUs, and 31 in LTCFs nationwide.
The study supports trends that were first observed when the investigators measured monthly MRSA HAI rates from October 2007 through June 2012. The VA's MRSA Prevention Initiative began in 2007, in response to high rates of MRSA infections at VA hospitals.
The authors suggest that the bundle of infection control interventions introduced under the initiative, such as universal active surveillance; unit-to-unit transfer, and discharge; contact precautions for those colonized or infected with MRSA; a continued emphasis on hand hygiene; and an overall institutional culture change likely all played a role in driving down MRSA HAIs. But they suspect that active surveillance might be the most significant factor, given that other interventions had been in place prior to the initiative.
"Understanding how and why rates of MRSA have diminished in recent years is essential for the continued progress of effective prevention programs," lead study author Martin E. Evans, MD, said in a press release from Elsevier, the journal's publisher. "As we seek to protect patients from MRSA and other resistant organisms, our study supports the need for strong infection prevention programs at every healthcare facility."
January Am J Infect Control study
Jan 5 Elsevier Health Sciences press release
[h=3]Pew: Predatory pathogen program could help fight drug resistance[/h] A new analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts says a research program aimed at examining the potential of predatory pathogens to fight antibiotic-resistant infections could be a model for research into other novel treatments for drug-resistant bacteria.
The Pathogen Predators program, led by a team of researchers funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is using a framework that will help move investigations from basic research to clinically relevant studies by asking a series of guiding questions. Those questions include whether predatory pathogens will be toxic to the organisms they are meant to treat, what kind of bacterial infections they are effective against, and whether bacteria could develop resistance to these pathogens over time.
Pew says that the Pathogen Predators program, which involves a collection of scientists from a variety of disciplines, has already begun to generate promising data on the effects of predatory bacteria on infections in animals, which could provide support for later testing in humans.
"If successful, the Pathogen Predators program will help lay the groundwork for safe and efficacious novel treatments for bacterial diseases," the authors write, adding that the model deserves attention from academic institutions, governments, pharmaceutical companies, and other stakeholders working to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Jan 5 Pew Charitable Trusts analysis