Superinfection of viral respiratory infection has been one of the hottest topics during the first waves of COVID-19: although it was rapidly demonstrated that coinfections were rare during the first days, fungal or bacterial superinfections was a major cause of death for intensive care unit patients on various immunosuppressive treatments (dexamethasone, IL6-inhibitors, etc.), who required prolonged mechanical ventilation. More recently, the burden of Group A streptococci superinfections have dramatically increased, in children and in adults, for reasons that still remain unclear.
Watch the on-demand recording to hear from three worldwide experts in the field of superinfections who shared with us the main features of these hot topics.
Viral respiratory tract infections: superinfections
The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) organised a webinar in collaboration with the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC) on the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Experts provided updates on the current AMR situation worldwide, with a particular focus on low- to middle- income countries (LMICs), and the efforts to fight it.
The Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance
World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2021
To mark the start of World Antibiotic Awareness Week, APUA celebrates its co-founder, Prof. Stuart B. Levy, a pioneer in the field of antibiotic resistance.
Prof. Levy was researching and raising awareness of antibiotic resistance long before the term 'superbugs' was coined.
His 1976 prospective farm study showing that antibiotic resistance elements can be transferred from intestinal flora of farm animals to workers was a breakthrough,demonstrating that the use of antibiotics as livestock growth-enhancers was a dangerous practice with significant risks to clinical care.
He championed the prudent use of antibiotics and wrote the landmark book, “The Antibiotic Paradox: ‘How Miracle Drugs Are Destroying the Miracle’" in 1992. It is now in its second edition and translated into four languages.
He co-founded the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics to advocate for the proper use of antibiotics in 1981. 2021 marks 40 years of fighting AMR for APUA.
You can find out more about the trailblazer, who leaves a strong legacy, in the APUA tribute newsletter, published in 2019, shortly after his passing.
New APUA Board Member
Miki Nagao is a director and professor of infection control team and clinical laboratory department in Kyoto University Hospital. Miki specializes in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology and is responsible for antimicrobial stewardship program in Kyoto University. She also serves as a chief in COVID-19 research project organized by Kyoto University and Kyoto prefecture. The principal areas of her research are infection prevention strategy for nosocomial pathogens, molecular epidemiology of multi-drug resistant pathogens and clinical laboratory medicine.
Remembering Stuart Levy
It has been just one year since Stuart Levy passed away, but it already seems so long ago… Since then, the world was confronted with an unprecedented sanitary crisis, which kept us all so busy that we could hardly find time to relax. Stuart left us just before a small virus would lead to one of the most dramatic revolutions in our societies. Many paradigms have been changed at a pace none of us would have expected. The economic, educational and cultural activities, work, leisure, sports, national and international exchanges, and many other pillars of our modern civilization have been jeopardized.
Looking back to the special tribute newsletter we wrote collectively, one year ago, under the flag of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), as a tribute to Professor Stuart Levy’s key publications, feels like a return to our roots. Still, most of the topics covered in these pages remain contemporary and of high value. We most likely will see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully before the second anniversary of Stuart Levy’s death, and we will then have to boost actions for better use of antibiotics worldwide, a topic sadly neglected over the last months. By that time, all the basics and principles established by Stuart Levy and others will help us to rebuild our collective actions and thrive.
Meanwhile, we hope you all keep safe so that we have the pleasure to meet again!
New APUA Board Member
APUA is delighted to welcome new member, Jeroen Schouten, to the APUA Board.
Jeroen is an Intensive Care Physician and Senior Researcher at IQ Health Care, Radboud University, Nijmegen Medical Centre.
He is also is a member of Dutch guideline committees for community-acquired Pneumonia, Sepsis and Antibiotic Stewardship for the Dutch Working Group for Antibiotic Policies (SWAB). Additionally, Jeroen is currently Chair of European Study Group for Antimicrobial Stewardship (ESGAP) and Chair of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Radboudmc and has authored numerous publications.
With his expertise in Antimicrobial Stewardship, Jeroen will be a great addition to the team.https://apua.org/who-we-are
New APUA Article: August 2020
Advocacy for Increased International Efforts for Antimicrobial Stewardship Actions in Low-and Middle-Income Countries on Behalf of Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials (APUA), Under the Auspices of the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC)
Pierre Tattevin, Gabriel Levy Hara, Adnene Toumi, Mushira Enani, Geoffrey Coombs, Andreas Voss, Heiman Wertheim, Armel Poda, Ziad Daoud, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Dilip Nathwani, and Ian Gould on behalf of Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antimicrobials (APUA) under the auspices of the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC)
Front. Med., 25 August 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2020.00503.
