Implementation and impact of rapid SARS-CoV-2 point of care test on patient flow in the frailty pathway; A quality improvement approach.

To maintain patient flow during the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid and accurate decisions for the safe triage of geriatrics patients was essential as turnaround times for laboratory testing was ineffective at supporting rapid clinical decision-making for transfer of care. Thus, to mitigate and inform these clinical decisions, a quality improvement collaborative project with the geriatrics and virology department was conducted at the Frailty Assessment Unit (FAU) at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The goal was to facilitate patient triage during transfer of care with the introduction of Point of Care testing (POCT).

Laboratory Surveillance, Quality Management, and Its Role in Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in Africa: A Narrative Review.

AMR is a major public health concern that calls for extensive work and a multidisciplinary team approach. The high prevalence of infectious diseases in African nations leads to widespread antibiotic usage and eventual antimicrobial resistance, which has significant negative effects on people's health, the economy, and society. Additionally, inadequate or nonexistent antimicrobial drug regulations, inappropriate prescription practices, and restrictions on public health prevention initiatives such as immunization, water and sanitation, and sexual health may all contribute to the emergence of AMR.

Antimicrobial Synergy Testing: Comparing the Tobramycin and Ceftazidime Gradient Diffusion Methodology Used in Assessing Synergy in Cystic Fibrosis-Derived Multidrug-Resistant .

The need for synergy testing is driven by the necessity to extend the antimicrobial spectrum, reducing drug dosage/toxicity and the development of resistance. Despite the abundance of synergy testing methods, there is the absence of a gold standard and a lack of synergy correlation among methods. The most popular method (checkerboard) is labor-intensive and is not practical for clinical use.

Complete Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas Phage Zikora.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major pathogen in humans and other animals, frequently harboring mechanisms of resistance to commonly used antimicrobials. Here, we describe the isolation of Pseudomonas bacteriophage Zikora. The full 65,837-bp genome was annotated and demonstrates similarity to phages, making Zikora a new member of this genus of the family.

Trends of Antimicrobial Resistance and Combination Susceptibility Testing of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients: a 10-Year Update.

Antimicrobial combination therapy is a time/resource-intensive procedure commonly employed in the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary exacerbations caused by Ten years ago, the most promising antimicrobial combinations were proposed, but there has since been the introduction of new β-lactam plus β-lactamase inhibitor antimicrobial combinations. The aims of this study were to (i) compare activity of these new antimicrobials with other antipseudomonal agents and suggest their most synergistic antimicrobial combinations and (ii) determine antimicrobial resistance rates and study inherent trends of antimicrobials over 10 years. A total of 721 multidrug-resistant isolates from 183 patients were collated over the study period.

Longitudinal Surveillance and Combination Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Multidrug-Resistant Species from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

spp. are recognized as emerging pathogens in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Though recent works have established species-level identification using sequencing, there is a dearth in knowledge relating to species-level antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and antimicrobial combinations, which hampers the use of optimal antimicrobial combinations for the treatment of chronic infections.