Improving antimicrobial use through better diagnosis: The relationship between diagnostic stewardship and antimicrobial stewardship.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) exist to optimize antibiotic use, reduce selection for antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, and improve patient outcomes. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is essential to optimal antibiotic use. Because diagnostic testing plays a significant role in diagnosing patients, it has one of the strongest influences on clinician antibiotic prescribing behaviors.

How to Harness the Power of Social Media for Quality Drug Information in Infectious Diseases: Perspectives on Behalf of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.

Clinicians, researchers, and the public frequently turn to digital channels and social media for up-to-the-minute information on novel therapeutics and vaccines. The value of credible infectious diseases drug information is more apparent in the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This viewpoint by the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) provides guidance on utilizing social media platforms to optimize infectious diseases pharmacotherapy.

A Baker's Dozen of Top Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Publications in 2018.

With an increasing number of antimicrobial stewardship-related articles published each year, attempting to stay current is challenging. The Southeastern Research Group Endeavor (SERGE-45) identified antimicrobial stewardship-related peer-reviewed literature that detailed an actionable intervention for 2018. The top 13 publications were selected using a modified Delphi technique.

Impact of the use of local fidaxomicin treatment algorithms for managing Clostridium difficile infection in hospitalized patients in southeastern United States.

Background: Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) is a major public health threat that results in increased length of stay, hospital readmissions, deaths, and economic burden. CDAD treatment is often guided by severity of disease. Although various tools exist to determine CDAD severity, real-world data evaluating the use of such tools in treatment algorithms are sparse.

Elvitegravir for the treatment of HIV.

Current antiretrovirals (ARVs) have demonstrated the ability to prolong the life of an HIV infected individual via suppression of the virus and subsequent restoration of immune function. Despite significant advancement, there remains an opportunity for improvement. One ARV that attempts to fill global HIV therapeutic needs by balancing convenience, safety, and efficacy is elvitegravir (EVG).

Tedizolid: a new oxazolidinone antimicrobial.

Purpose: The mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and clinical efficacy and safety of an investigational second-generation oxazolidinone are reviewed.

Summary: Tedizolid is a protein synthesis inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of gram-positive infections. Similar to linezolid, tedizolid works by binding to the 23S ribosomal RNA of the 50S subunit, thereby preventing the formation of the 70S initiation complex and inhibiting protein synthesis.