Top New ID/Stewardship Journal Articles Link-O-Rama: October 2019

In this article top new literature in the field of infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship is identified. This monthly rundown can help you keep up with the latest and greatest material!

Written By: Bassam Ghanem, Pharm.D., MS, BCPS

Edited By: Timothy P. Gauthier, Pharm.D., BCPS-AQ ID

Last updated: 7 October 2019

In this monthly column two infectious diseases pharmacists who physically reside thousands of miles apart and utilize Twitter to stay current with antimicrobial stewardship literature (@ABsteward [B.G.] & @IDstewardship [T.G.]) unite to identify some of the top new hot off the press articles recently published.

The following are some of the new publications we found most interesting or noteworthy that were released in September of 2019. We get to learn each month from all of these amazing publications and hope you enjoy this list as much as we enjoy putting it together!

Credit to Paul Sax for inspiring the link-o-rama component of our title this month.

1. Ceftolozane-tazobactam versus meropenem for treatment of nosocomial pneumonia (ASPECT-NP): a randomised, controlled, double-blind, phase 3, non-inferiority trial | LANCET ID

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(19)30403-7/fulltext

ASPECT-NP is an RCT that found high-dose ceftolozane-tazobactam is an efficacious and well tolerated treatment for Gram-negative nosocomial pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients.

2. Ceftolozane/Tazobactam vs Polymyxin or Aminoglycoside-based Regimens for the Treatment of Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa | CID

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31545346

This large retrospective study found that ceftolozane/ tazobactam resulted in a higher rate of clinical cure and lower rates of acute kidney injury, compared to polymyxin/ aminoglycoside in patients with MDR/ XDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

3. Effect of infectious disease consultation on mortality and treatment of patients with candida bloodstream infections: a retrospective, cohort study | Lancet Infect Dis

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(19)30405-0/fulltext

This large retrospective cohort study found that in patients with Candidemia, ID consult decreased 90 day mortality by 19%.

4. Blood Culture Results Before and After Antimicrobial Administration in Patients With Severe Manifestations of Sepsis: A Diagnostic Study | Annals of Internal Medicine

https://annals.org/aim/article-abstract/2751453/blood-culture-results-before-after-antimicrobial-administration-patients-severe-manifestations

The FABLED investigators concluded that among patients with severe manifestations of sepsis, initiation of empirical antimicrobial therapy significantly reduces the sensitivity of blood cultures drawn shortly after treatment initiation.

5. Effectiveness of Oral Vancomycin for Prevention of Healthcare Facility-Onset Clostridioides difficile Infection in Targeted Patients During Systemic Antibiotic Exposure | CID

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31560051

This RCT found that oral vancomycin prophylaxis appears to protect against health care facility-onset CDI during in-patient stays in targeted patients during systemic antibiotic exposure.

6. Oral Lefamulin vs Moxifloxacin for Early Clinical Response Among Adults With Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia | JAMA

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2752331

The LEAP 2 was an RCT that found among patients with community acquired bacterial pneumonia, 5-day oral lefamulin was noninferior to 7-day oral moxifloxacin with respect to early clinical response at 96 hours after first dose.

7. Use of oral vancomycin for Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) and the risk of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) | CID

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31504328

This large VA cohort study found that patients treated with oral vancomycin were no more likely to develop VRE from clinical or surveillance sources at 3- or 6-months post CDI treatment than metronidazole-treated patients.