Antimicrobial Stewardship Project Newsletter

• New from CIDRAP-ASP: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) journalism, our April quiz, and an interview with Dr. Brad Spellberg
   
• Global news and reports on peripartum infection prophylaxis recommendations, guidelines for complicated urinary tract infections in children, AMR education for schoolchildren, the connections between AMR and cancer care, and efforts to spur sustainable investment in AMR governance
   
• Regional AMR news and projects from the Caribbean, Latin America, Nigeria, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, and West Africa
   
• One Health updates on veterinary antimicrobial sales in Europe, New Zealand's proposed veterinary antimicrobial stewardship strategy, Welsh investments in animal antibiotic stewardship, CPE in the European food chain, veterinary curricula in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and AMR and wastewater in the United Kingdom

In an interview for CIDRAP News, Chris Dall, MA, speaks with Brad Spellberg, MD, chief medical officer at the Los Angeles Medical Center, about the data behind shorter courses of antibiotics for some infections, the need for evidence-informed clinical guidelines and honest conversations with patients about options, the antibiotic pipeline, and the future of the infectious disease workforce.

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Peripartum infection guidelines group. The World Health Organization announced the membership of a group that will develop recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis during labor for vaginal birth to reduce maternal and neonatal infections and sepsis. Learn more.
 

Guidelines for complicated UTI in children. New guidelines for the management of complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children, commissioned by the European Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, aim to address confusion and controversy in defining, diagnosing, and treating complex pediatric UTIs. Learn more.
 

AMR and the cancer care workforce. The Union for International Cancer Control published a position paper on the role of the cancer health workforce in addressing AMR and access to effective antimicrobials and diagnostics in cancer care. Learn more.
 

AMR education in schools. The Quadripartite, along with UNESCO and UNICEF, published a brief on AMR education in schools. The brief is intended for policymakers and school practitioners and is available in five languages. Learn more.
 

Cancer and AMR. In the ASCO Post, Jo Cavallo interviews Shalini Jayasekar Zurn, MSc, about the intersections between AMR and cancer care, highlighting the need for improved guidelines on the appropriate use of antimicrobials in people with cancer, hospital investment in antimicrobials commonly used in cancer care, and sustained public awareness of AMR prevention. Learn more.
 

Davos Compact on AMR. The World Economic Forum invites organizations to join the Davos Compact on AMR, which aims to spur sustainable public and private financing dedicated to reducing global AMR-related deaths. Learn more.
 

AMR NAPs and health financing challenges. In a South Centre report, Afreenish Amir, MBBS, PhD, MPH, MPhil, details discussions and findings from a recent webinar on advancing AMR National Action Plans amidst health financing challenges, featuring case studies from Brazil and Ghana. Learn more.

The Caribbean. The International Centre for AMR Solutions and the International Development Research Centre launched a project to prevent and control AMR across 10 countries and territories in the Caribbean. Learn more.
 

Latin America. In May, ReAct Latin America will host an interdisciplinary regional meeting in Cuenca, Ecuador, to understand the profound interrelationships between water, food, and antibiotics. Learn more.
 

Nigeria. The Voice of Nigeria reports on a proposed four-pillar framework—1) Strategic information and pragmatism, 2) Equity must be central, 3) Accountability equals inclusion, and 4) Whole-of-society approach—that will guide Nigeria's efforts to address AMR. Learn more.
 

Uganda. Makerere University highlights discussions from a recent international symposium organized by the Alliance for Phage Research and Development Uganda Ltd to make progress in the use of bacteriophages to combat AMR in healthcare and agricultural settings. Learn more.
 

United Kingdom. The UK Health Security Agency published a report on carbapenemase-producing gram-negative organisms from the last quarter of 2024, finding a significant decrease in carbapenemase-producing organisms compared with the previous quarter, although they note that the last half of 2024 saw the highest numbers of carbapenemase-producing specimens from sterile sites since mandatory surveillance began in October 2020. Learn more.
 

United Kingdom. The UK Health Security Agency launched a digital campaign to increase awareness about the appropriate use of antibiotics among adults ages 18 to 34. Learn more.
 

United States. The Sepsis Alliance published the results of a survey on AMR knowledge among registered nurses (RNs) in the United States, finding that 43% of RNS thought that current nursing education on sepsis and AMR is inadequate and that only 13% of RNs believed that their facility was doing an excellent job in addressing AMR. Learn more.
 

United States. The American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association released a statement on two closures of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention divisions that signify an enormous loss of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection and AMR surveillance and a decreased ability to respond to the ongoing congenital syphilis epidemic. Learn more.
 

West Africa. The Fleming Fund features an interview with Beverly Egyir, PhD, MPhil, about the use of whole-genome sequencing to improve human, animal, and environmental AMR surveillance across West Africa. Learn more.

Veterinary antimicrobial sales in Europe. The European Medicines Agency published a report on sales and use of antimicrobials for veterinary medicine during 2023, which, for the first time, includes all EU countries plus Iceland and Norway and uses a new regulatory framework for reporting antimicrobial use by species. Learn more.
 

Feedback on New Zealand veterinary AMR strategy. The Veterinary Council of New Zealand is seeking feedback from the country's veterinary sector on a new antimicrobial stewardship strategy to guide AMR reductions in veterinary care. Feedback is due by May 2. Learn more.
 

Welsh animal antibiotic stewardship investment. The Welsh Government announced new and ongoing efforts to address AMR in animal health, including £2 million (about $2.6 million USD) to support the work of Welsh animal antibiotic stewardship consortium Arwain Defnydd Gwrthfaicrobaidd Cyfrifol. Learn more.
 

CPE in the European food chain. The European Food Safety Authority published a scientific opinion on the occurrence and spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in the food chain across Europe. Learn more.
 

AMR and veterinary curricula in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has published assessments of AMR learning outcomes in veterinary curricula at universities in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Learn more.
 

AMR and wastewater in the UK. The Microbiology Society published a policy brief on AMR and wastewater in the United Kingdom. Learn more.