January 18, 2025
What You Can Do to Help Combat Antimicrobial Resistance via US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Why it matters In July 2024, CDC published Antimicrobial Resistance Threats in the United States, 2021-2022. These new data show that six bacterial antimicrobial-resistant hospital-onset infections increased by a combined 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic …
December 19, 2024
CASP Pediatric Medical Director Zach Willis, MD, MPH shares the evidence for prescribing the shortest effective durations of antibiotic therapy for patients with common infectious syndromes in a one-hour webinar for the North Carolina Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology.
November 4, 2024
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most commonly diagnosed infections across outpatient, nursing home, and inpatient health facilities. UTIs are often over-diagnosed, which can lead to negative consequences for the patient and antibiotic resistance. Below is general guidance regarding UTI diagnosis, which focuses on the importance of urinary symptoms. Additional considerations in patients with …
November 1, 2024
To support ongoing education of residents, nurses, physicians, and APPs, CASP developed a compendium of resources to bolster knowledge on diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Suspected UTIs are a common reason people seek medical attention. In some cases, urine may be cultured without full consideration of the clinical picture, setting off a …
October 13, 2024
ID Week took place October 16-19 in Los Angeles, CA, the joint annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the HIV Medicine Association, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. CASP, OPAT, and other UNC’s Division of Infectious Diseases colleagues were …
October 4, 2024
Training the next generation of antimicrobial stewardship and hospital epidemiology clinical leaders is critical for quality healthcare delivery and public health. The Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention (ASIP) Infectious Diseases Fellowship track at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical School is designed to prepare fellows to lead hospital infection prevention and antimicrobial …
September 27, 2024
“Even though a good 10 percent of Americans are labeled with penicillin allergy, less than 1 percent have a true allergy to penicillin,” says UNC Health allergist Millie Kwan, MD, PhD. And that leads to problems: You don’t get the most effective antibiotic for your infection, which can result in longer illnesses, more side effects …
September 9, 2024
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) announced the recipients of its 2025 Awards and Prize Program. The awards recognize leading scientists and researchers in the field for their professional accomplishments and contributions to research, education, clinical laboratories, service and scientific diversity.
September 5, 2024
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) is observed November 18-24, annually. The purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic and antifungal use and the threat of antimicrobial resistance across the One Health spectrum. Read on for more information and the official tool kit from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
August 30, 2024
Emily Ciccone, MD, MHS led the first study of C-reactive protein testing by community health workers, where many initially seek medical care.
August 22, 2024
via US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Download slides or watch the presentation. Laboratory analysis of blood cultures is vital to the accurate and timely diagnosis of bloodstream infections. However, the reliability of your testing depends on clinical compliance with collection procedures that limit the risk of inconclusive or incorrect results. False negative blood …
August 5, 2024
Please adhere to blood culture best practices during the global shortage of blood culture bottles (BD BACTEC).