In this article top new infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship journal articles are identified. Here are our picks to share with you for November 2019.
Written By: Bassam Ghanem, Pharm.D., MS, BCPS
Edited By: Timothy P. Gauthier, Pharm.D., BCPS-AQ ID
Last updated: 3 November 2019
In this monthly column two pharmacists with advanced training in infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship identify top new journal articles published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Many of these are identified, shared, and discussed via Twitter. The authors can be found on Twitter @ABsteward (B.G.) & @IDstewardship (T.G.).
It is very hard to keep up with all of the new publications that come out each month. We hope this can assist people in identifying new articles of interest. We additionally hope it can serve as a place to come back to if you find something of interest and need a link to it.
1. Oral vs Intravenous Antibiotics for Patients With Klebsiella pneumoniae Liver Abscess: A Randomized, Controlled Noninferiority Study | CID
A-KLASS RCT concluded that early (< one week) step-down to oral antibiotics were non-inferior to intravenous antibiotics for the early treatment of Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess.
2. Antibiotic treatment for 6 days versus 12 days in patients with severe cellulitis: a multicentre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority trial | CMI
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1198743X1930504X
DANCE RCT concluded that antibiotic treatment for 12 days compared to 6 days in patients with severe cellulitis resulted in significantly more frequent relapses by day 90.
3. Efficacy of antibiotic treatment in patients with chronic low back pain and Modic changes (the AIM study): double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, multicentre trial | BMJ
https://www.bmj.com/content/367/bmj.l5654
AIM RCT concluded that three months of treatment with amoxicillin compared with placebo did not provide a clinically important benefit in patients with chronic low back pain and modic changes at the level of a previous disc herniation.
4. Penicillin V four times daily for five days versus three times daily for 10 days in patients with pharyngotonsillitis caused by group A streptococci: randomised controlled, open label, non-inferiority study | BMJ
https://www.bmj.com/content/367/bmj.l5337
This RCT concluded that Penicillin V four times daily for five days was non-inferior in clinical outcome to penicillin V three times daily for 10 days in patients with pharyngotonsillitis caused by group A streptococci.
5. Streptococcus pyogenes pbp2x Mutation Confers Reduced Susceptibility to Beta-lactam Antibiotics | CID
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciz1000/5601183
The Study described the first reported GAS clinical isolates with elevated ampicillin, amoxicillin, and cefotaxime minimum inhibitory concentrations conferred by a pbp2x mutation, which could serve as a first step in development of resistance.
Additional New & Notable Publications
Beta-Lactam pharmacodynamics in Gram-negative bloodstream infections in the critically ill | JAC
Sustainability of Handshake Stewardship: Extending a Hand Is Effective Years Later | CID
The Overton window and a less dogmatic approach to antibiotics | CID
Putting the Dissemination and Implementation in Infectious Diseases | CID
Blood cultures versus respiratory cultures: Two different views of pneumonia | CID
Pathogen-Negative Sepsis: An Opportunity for Antimicrobial Stewardship | OFID
Analysis of antibiotic use in a large network of emergency departments | AJHP
#WhyID: Crowdsourcing the Top Reasons to Choose Infectious Diseases in the Age of Twitter | OFID
Ensuring Sustainability of Needed Antibiotics: Aiming for the DART Board | Annals of IM
Sepsis hysteria: excess hype and unrealistic expectations | The Lancet
A Baker’s Dozen of Top Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Publications in 2018 | OFID
Research needs in antibiotic stewardship | ICHE
Carbapenem-sparing strategy: carbapenemase, treatment, and stewardship | Curr Opin Infect Dis
Aminoglycosides for infective endocarditis: time to say goodbye? | CMI
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