Author Archives: koh10
How did bacteria become resistant?
We all know that antibiotic resistance increases through improper use of antibiotics. With recent discoveries of bacteria containing antibiotic resistance genes in isolated tribes it would seem that bacteria have always been resistant- so why is it such a problem now?
Antimicrobial prophylaxis, quinolone resistance and prostate biopsy safety
Guest post: Patrick Harris, Staff Specialist in Microbiology, Central Laboratory, Pathology Queensland, Brisbane Overseas travel and prostate biopsies: a key risk-factor for infectious complications with multi-drug resistant bacteria Given an ageing population and the current reliance upon PSA testing to screen for prostate cancer, patients are increasingly being referred for trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsies. Millions […]
Antibiotics and the QT Interval
Guest post : Ian Whyte, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Calvary Mater Newcastle and University of Newcastle Case report (Knorr et al 2008 Ciprofloxacin-induced Q-T interval prolongation) 16-year-old boy was admitted for the treatment of an acute flare of Crohn’s disease and a perirectal abscess. The patient was started on ciprofloxacin 400 mg IV twice daily […]
Relative mortality risk from antibiotic use compared
Much time is spent discussing the development of antimicrobial resistance and changes to the microbiome but perhaps should we should also focus on the potential for patient mortality. Based on best current estimates, trimethoprim, macrolides and quinolones may be less safe than chloramphenicol in certain patient populations. A future posting will provide a practical approach to the […]
How to select an antibiotic dose for children
Dosing information for children, unlike adults, is often presented as a mg/kg range. So how do you choose what dose to use?This recent discussion from the BMJ has some important take home messages . Did you know that a child qualifies for an adult antibiotic dose usually by the time they weigh 40 kg? That […]
Are you ready for Antibiotic Awareness Week?
Antibiotic Awareness Week runs from the 16-22th of November. It is a time for all hospital staff and patients to think about the importance of antibiotics and what a difference they have made to our lives. Antibiotic Awareness Week is an international initiative that is supported locally by the CEC. This years theme is “Preserve […]
Microbial Masterpieces
The American Society for Microbiology has recently held their Agar Art competition. This competition involves agar plates painted with cultures to make beautiful works of art.
Can you develop antibiotic resistance without antibiotics?
Studies of an indigenous tribe from the Amazon who had no previous contact with Europeans have shown you can!
What are cumulative antibiograms ?
Antibiograms summarise local antimicrobial susceptibility in order to guide appropriate antimicrobial prescribing. Ideally they are updated annually by microbiology services to provide a current picture of bacterial susceptibility and the local incidence of key sentinel resistant pathogens.
AIMED - Let's talk about antibiotics 