Press releases 2016


EUCAST experts say genetic testing cannot yet determine antimicrobial susceptibility

Experts at the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST), who define the optimal drug concentrations to inhibit the growth of pathogens, have found that genetic methods cannot yet be used to test for susceptibility in a number of important bacterial species. Although there have been advances in whole genome sequencing (WGS), which allows to determine the DNA sequence of an organism’s genome at a single time, there are still several hurdles to overcome before this type of genetic testing can be used in clinical laboratories, they concluded in their report, which is freely accessible.

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French GPs vaccinate their patients differently compared to their own children, study in CMI shows

More than half of general practitioners (GPs) recommend vaccination for their patients that differ from their practices for their own children, according to a survey in France, which was recently published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection. The physicians’ attitudes varied for different reasons, like the confidence they have on the benefits and the safety of individual vaccines.

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European Antibiotic Awareness Day: ESCMID experts promote prudent use of antibiotics to fight resistance

Experts at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID) are joining colleagues across the globe this week to promote prudent use of antibiotics. They show their support for the European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) on 18 November, which was inaugurated in 2006 to raise awareness of antimicrobial resistance. EAAD forms part of World Antibiotic Awareness week from 14 – 20 November, which reflects the fact that the war against antimicrobial resistance must be a global effort. Some of the society’s activities throughout this week and since its foundation more than 30 years ago are highlighted on its dedicated Fighting Resistance webpage.

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Airport door handles have the potential to help spread drug-resistant bacteria around the world

Airports are international travel hubs visited by large numbers of people. London Heathrow, for example, has an average of 205,400 travellers every day and saw 75 million people arriving and departing from all over the world in 2015. A study just published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection suggests that international travellers can acquire antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and may spread these bacteria in their home countries after returning from abroad.

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ESCMID and EVASG urge pregnant women to protect themselves and their babies by getting vaccinated against influenza

The flu season is almost here and The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID) and its specialist vaccine study group, the ESCMID Study Group for Vaccines (EVASG) is calling on all pregnant women to sign up for their flu vaccine. Usually the advice for pregnant women is to avoid medications and vaccinations, but the inactivated flu vaccine is not only beneficial to the woman concerned, it can also protect her baby from infection during the first few months of life.
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ESCMID and ASM’s joint conference reviews need for new strategies to fight AMR

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) have just closed a joint conference in Vienna, which helped researchers accelerate the development of new antimicrobials and shed light on the challenges associated with antimicrobial resistance.

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Open letter to the United Nations to work towards setting binding targets and taking concrete action to effectively fight antimicrobial resistance

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) sent an open letter to UN President, H.E. Mr Mogens Lykketoft ahead of the high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The society is urging the Secretary General to work towards setting binding targets and taking concrete action to effectively fight AMR.

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ESCMID updates guidelines for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) has released new guidelines on best practice methods to diagnose Clostridium difficile infection (CDI/typo3/). The latest document updates the original 2009 guidelines produced by the society, and includes recommendations concerning the use of new diagnostic technology such as nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT).

Women more likely to die within 30-days from Staph aureus infection than men, study shows

Significantly more women than men diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) – a blood infection of the common bacteria – die within 30 days, a study just published shows. The authors recommend that gender should be considered in the triage and risk stratification of patients with community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

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link to study in CMI

Shingles doubles stroke risk for several years, study shows

The study by researchers from the Department of Neurology at the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in Seoul showed that herpes zoster infection not only raised the risk of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke but also that of a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), a warning mini-stroke often preceding a full-blown stroke. The results are published in theJune issue of Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

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link to June issue of CMI

ESCMID and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) are jointly organizing a conference in Vienna from 21 – 23 September 2016 to help researchers accelerate the development of new antimicrobials for drug-resistant infection

The conference in Vienna will address issues such as the reliance on very robust preclinical studies, innovative clinical trial design, strong academic/industrial partnerships, and a requirement for early engagement with regulatory bodies in order to facilitate the processes for accelerated antimicrobial development.

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Mobile phones used by hospital staff are contaminated by viral RNA due to poor adherence to cleaning protocols, particularly in paediatric settings

21/06/2016, Saint-Étienne, France: In clinical settings, mobile phones benefit patients by placing useful data and information at the fingertips of health professionals during interactions on the ward. But are doctors and nurses unwittingly exposing vulnerable patients to a potential source of infection just by tapping their touch screen?

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Exceptional contribution to the advancement of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases recognized at ECCMID

Prof. Robert A. Bonomo received the ESCMID Award for Excellence in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2016 for his outstanding lifetime contribution to the field of antimicrobial resistance. At ECCMID 2016, two young scientists were also honoured for their contributions to the research and medical community will the ESCMID Young Investigator Awards for Research in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. 

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Late-breaking result evaluating novel diagnostic tools and therapies for infectious diseases presented at ECCMID

New data from ten late-breaking abstracts is released at ECCMID 2016. At the congress, a dedicated session will examine recently released research across the full spectrum of infectious diseases both from a clinical and laboratory perspective. Researchers presented recent data on a number of diagnostic tools to rapidly identify pathogens and therapies promising to treat challenging infections. The abstracts presented dealt with topics including meningitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, Zika and human papilloma virus.

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Antimicrobial drug pipelines presented at ECCMID

Small and innovative pharmaceutical companies, with products in early stages of development, presented some of their novel approaches and antimicrobial therapies under development during a dedicated session at ECCMID. Dr Ursula Theuretzbacher, the founder of the Centre for Anti-Infective Agents in Vienna, led the session, which gave an overview of the research and development programmes that are driving innovation in this critical space.

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Medical professionals, politicians commit themselves to more effectively fight AMR

Medical professionals, business and government officials from around the world joined in Amsterdam on the sidelines of the ECCMID 2016 Conference, hosted by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), to declare their commitment to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in a concerted effort.

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Late-breaking research on refugee health released at ECCMID

Seven late-breaking abstracts highlight the need for comprehensive screening programmes, improved therapy and vaccination coverage in countries receiving large numbers of refugees. Researchers have observed increased prevalence of resistant pathogens or emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases including HIV, tuberculosis, Salmonella, Shigella, scabies and other parasitic infections in refugees and migrants, according to data presented at ECCMID 2016, the annual meeting of the  European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID).

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Antibiotic resistance mechanism continues to spread, late-breaking abstracts at ECCMID show

A recently discovered genetic mechanism allowing bacteria to develop and transfer resistance to colistin, one of the last-resort antibiotics, has been present in many countries across the world for more than a decade, according to late-breaking data presented at ECCMID.

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Late-breaker session chair Prof. Alex Friedrich

Late-breaker presenter Abdul

Late-breaker presenter Veldman

Women are more likely to be prescribed antibiotics than men, analysis shows

A review published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy has found that women are on average 27 per cent more likely than men to be prescribed certain types of antibiotics. The study was financed by the German Centre for Infectious Diseases in collaboration with ESCMID (European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases)'s Parity Commission. 

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ESCMID, ESICM and ISF jointly initiate the European Sepsis Academy to improve sepsis therapy

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and the International Sepsis Forum (ISF) jointly initiate the European Sepsis Academy to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the life-threatening condition. 

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ESCMID experts gather data on the Zika virus as they prepare for potential outbreaks in Africa and southern Europe

Experts at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) are developing tools to monitor the spread of the Zika virus and are conducting research to gather more solid data to better assess the risks associated with the infection. In a review researchers discussed the rapid spread of Zika virus in the Americas and concluded that the virus and other arboviruses may not only pose a threat to residents of Brazil, but also to attendees of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Meanwhile, colleagues are also working hard on the development of better diagnostic tools and on improving the monitoring of the virus’ spread, as they are preparing for a possible outbreak in Europe and the return of the virus to the African continent where it was first isolated in 1947.

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