IDSA issues guidance on treatment of drug-resistant pathogens

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued guidance for the clinical treatment of three of the most common drug-resistant pathogens.

While antibiotics save lives, the bacteria and other microbes can evolve in ways that enable them to resist a drug’s intended effect. Misuse or overuse of antibiotics has resulted in widespread antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR pathogens caused more than 2.8 million infections and over 35,000 deaths annually in the United States from 2012 through 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health experts say the COVID-19 pandemic could make it worse because patients who are hospitalized after contracting the COVID-19 can become further sickened by infections that are difficult to treat without antibiotics.

The guidance, developed by a panel of six infectious diseases specialists, addresses three groups of AMR Gram-negative bacteria that pose particular therapeutic challenges and have been designated as urgent or serious threats by CDC. The three groups are extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing enterobacterales (ESBL-E), carbapenem-resistant enterobacterales (CRE), and difficult-to-treat resistance (DTR)-pseudomonas aeruginosa.

“Clinicians rely on evidence-based guidelines from other clinicians who have considered the literature and available data,” said Cornelius Clancy, a panel co-chair, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System’s chief of infectious diseases, and an associate professor of medicine and director of the XDR Pathogen Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. “This guidance provides clinicians with real-word recommendations on how to deal with real-world problems.”

The IDSA guidance documents will address specific clinical questions for difficult-to-manage infections that are not covered by present guidelines.

“Clinicians will find this to be an easy-to-use resource,” Pranita Tamma, a panel co-chair and director of the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said. “Infectious diseases physicians are taking the lead in providing practical recommendations for reducing resistance, and the development of this guidance affirms the specialty’s commitment to preparing clinicians for high-quality patient care.”

The guidance panel was co-chaired by Drs. Tamma and Clancy. Other members of the panel include Samuel Aitken, Robert Bonomo, David van Duin, and Amy Mathers.