ECCVID – One week to go!

ECCVID is next week, and we are counting down the days! ESCMID’s first online conference will take place from 23 to 25 September 2020.

Be sure that you are kept informed with the latest updates and announcements for the scientific programme by regularly checking the ESCMID website and by following ESCMID on Facebook and Twitter.

Registration grants access to more than 80 scientific sessions, over 600 abstracts and multiple integrated industry sessions during the conference days, and for 3 months afterwards.

Visit the ECCVID website to register for the conference. Full access is only EUR 40 for ESCMID members (EUR 60 for non-members). It is free of charge for members from low-income countries.

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Applications for funded observerships can now be submitted

ESCMID Professional Affairs Subcommittee (PAS) Survey 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted almost every country around the world. In many cases, institutions have had to adapt their activities in response to the first wave of this outbreak. Healthcare workers are having to work in unusual conditions with new protocols, using new personal protective equipment, with limited training, and with changing clinical recommendations with scarce evidence.

The Professional Affairs Subcommittee of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) has developed a survey in order to determine the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on institutions across the world, from the point of view of their health care workers, regardless of whether they work in Infectious Diseases, Clinical Microbiology or in other specialties.

First results of the survey will be published at the 4th Professional Affairs Workshop (PAW 2020).

We kindly invite all ESMID members to participate in this survey by following the link below.

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ESCMID call for new guidelines projects 2020

ESCMID members and ESCMID Study Groups are invited to submit proposals for clinical practice guidelines projects in the following topics:

1. Diagnosis and treatment of Community Acquired Pneumonia;
2. Diagnosis and treatment of Brain Abscess management;
3. Update of the 2014 ESCMID guideline of prevention of infections due to MDR-GN. 

The deadline for project submission is 01/11/2020.
Full details can be found in the call text here.
For any questions, please write to guidancedocuments@escmid.org.

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GARDP Webinar: Moving from preclinical to clinical-stage: Challenges & opportunities – 24 September, 2020

REVIVE webinars are back! The next webinar will take place on Thursday, 24 September 2020 from 15:30 – 17:30 CEST.

Join speakers Bala Subramanian, Michael P. Bevilacqua, Matthew Henn, Chris Ford, M. Javad Aman & Catherine Bernard and David Steinmiller, along with moderator Erin Duffy, will discuss the challenges and opportunities with moving from preclinical to clinical-stage drug development.

The webinar was developed in collaboration with CARB-X, JPIAMR, REPAIR Impact Fund, Wellcome Trust, ASM and ESCMID.

Register on the GARDP website.

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INTERNATIONAL MICROORGANISM DAY: 17 SEPTEMBER 2020

The Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) and the European Academy of Microbiology (EAM) have been working to establish 17 September as International Microorganism Day, an annual celebration of microbiology and an opportunity to promote the diversity and variety of microorganisms. This year, FEMS and EAM are making an even greater effort to promote the positive contributions of microorganisms in our daily lives given the negative stories associated with viruses in the news. Usually, both societies encourage educators, researchers, scientists and communicators to hold events to help celebrate International Microorganism Day, but this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the activities will be online and virtual.

Please find here the official press release of the event and follow the link for further info.

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CMI highlight: Detection and infectivity potential of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) environmental contamination in isolation units and quarantine facilities

Environmental surfaces have been suggested as likely contributors to the transmission of COVID-19. This study assessed the infectivity SARS-CoV-2 contamination on surfaces and objects in hospital isolation units and a quarantine hotel.In particular, SARS-CoV-2 virus stability and infectivity on non-porous surfaces was tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Surfaces and air sampling were conducted at two COVID-19 isolation units and in a quarantine hotel.

It emerged that in laboratory-controlled conditions, SARS-CoV-2 gradually lost its infectivity completely at day 4 at ambient temperature and the decay rate of viral viability on surfaces directly correlated with increase in temperature.

 In summary, despite prolonged viability of SARS-CoV-2 in controlled conditions, aerosol or indirect transmission from inanimate surfaces around hospitalized or quarantined COVID-19 patients is not supported by the data presented in this study. In healthcare settings, infection control and prevention should focus mainly on prevention of direct face to face transmission and droplet protection. Fomite transmission may still be a possibility with heavily contaminated surfaces around patients during their most contagious stages of infection, and in closed and crowded environments.

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