Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/846928
23 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & STEWARDSHIP When Used Together, Otherwise Ineffective Antibiotics Can Eradicate Superbugs By Anuja Vaidya I n the fight against deadly superbugs, combinations of antibiotics may pro- vide a strong defense. Two new stud- ies show when certain antibiotics are combined they can kill, and in some cases prevent regrowth, of some antimicrobial-re- sistant pathogens. One study, published in Journal of Antimi- crobial Chemotherapy, examined the use of polymyxin B, meropenem and ampicil- lin-sulbactam against the drug-resistant pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. e antibiotics were used individually, in pairs and then all three together. e study shows the antibiotics could not eradicate the pathogen when used alone. When used in pairs, the antibiotics could kill the patho- gen, but it regrew within three days. When all three antibiotics were used together, the pathogen was eradicated and it did not grow back within 96 hours. e second study, published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, tested the efficacy of polymyxin B, meropenem and rifampin in fighting the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae. Similar to the first study, the three antibiot- ics were tested individually, in pairs and all together. Once again, when used individually the antibiotics did not kill the bacterium; and when used in pairs, they killed the bacterium but it grew back in 30 hours. e triple antibiotic combination of could kill the bacteria and prevent regrowth for 72 hours. Both Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsi- ella pneumoniae are a part of six ESKAPE pathogens, which are drug-resistant bacteria causing more than 2 million infections per year, according to the CDC. n Blood Cultures, Antibiotic Stewardship Lowers S. aureus Patient LOS by 3 Days By Anuja Vaidya R esearchers examined the impact of quick identification of pathogens using blood cultures and antibiotic stewardship on rates of S. aureus bacteremia at a community hospital. The research results were presented at the ASM Microbe 2017 meeting in New Orleans in June. Researchers performed a retrospective compari- son study of outcomes at a medium-sized hospital serving a rural population. They studied the implementation of a program involving a rapid blood culture identification panel along with anti- biotic stewardship. They examined patients with S. aureus bacteremia before and after implementa- tion of the program. There were 33 patients each in the before and after groups. The researchers found the after implementation group experienced: • A three-day reduction in the average length of hospital stay • A 50 percent reduction in the 30 day readmis- sion rate • A 17 percent reduction in 30 day all-cause mortality Additionally, researchers found the reduced length of hospital stay resulted in cost savings of approximately $4,290 per patient. n Henry Ford Health System Starts Phasing Antibiotic-Free Poultry Into Cafeterias By Heather Punke I n the interest of combating the growth of antibiotic resis- tance, Henry Ford Health System in Detroit is working to serve only antibiotic-free poultry to patients, employees and visitors at its five hospitals. Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital was the first of the system's hos- pitals to have completely antibiotic-free poultry. The cafeteria at the system's headquarters also features chicken and turkey that is antibiotic-free. The meat is from Perdue Harvestland and the animals have never been given antibiotics, even as eggs. "Serving antibiotic-free poultry supports Henry Ford's mission to implement practices that result in health benefits to patients and employees," John Miller, director of culinary wellness with the system, said. In recent years, research has shown the link between antibiotic resis- tance in humans and antibiotics used in food animals. In 2015, sci- entists from UCSF in San Francisco urged hospitals to phase out serving meat from animals that had been given antibiotics. Henry Ford isn't the only system making the switch to antibiot- ic-free meat. UCSF Medical Center, Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center, Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash., and others have done the same. While it may sound simple, sourcing antibiotic-free meat has proven challenging for some hospitals. Distributors don't al- ways have the necessary supply, for instance, and some hospitals have to renegotiate food service contracts to rid its cafeterias of antibiotic-treated meat. n