October 2023—A CAP accreditation program requirement that microbiology laboratories use current antimicrobial susceptibility testing breakpoints, which was added to the checklist in 2021, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.
Read More »Why carbapenemase-producing CRE raise the bar
March 2018—When Stephen Brecher, PhD, compares MRSA to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, the figures of speech come fast and furious. “We are not in Kansas anymore,” he said. “The bar has been raised. I consider MRSA a picnic compared to CP-CRE [carbapenemase-producing CRE].”
Read More »Pros and cons of carbapenemase detection tests
March 2018—When it comes to diagnostic tests, everyone wants the same thing Lars Westblade, PhD, wants: A unicorn. “The diagnostic performance of a test is reflected in its sensitivity and specificity,” Dr. Westblade said. “It has to be a very good test. And then we need to think about the speed of the test.” There’s also the cost. When all these factors come together just so, “we get what’s called diagnostic perfection,” he says, or the rare event that Brandi Limbago, PhD, of the CDC calls “a diagnostic unicorn.”
Read More »Antibiotic stewardship gets a boost in FDA’s OK
September 2017—Those who have seen the strength of antibiotic stewardship hope the FDA’s clearance this year of an assay for antibiotic management will drive further and move faster the efforts being made to curb unnecessary use.
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