Pre-ECCMID Days: Start your ECCMID experience early!

Don’t forget that your full registration to ECCMID includes registration to all 5 Pre-ECCMID days. These online educational days will cover salient topics in the field of infection, including Vaccines, COVID-19, Diagnostics and AMS.

Find out more on the ECCMID website.

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Via ESGMAC: Mycoplasma pneumoniae prevalence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: the MyCOVID survey

The ESCMID Study Group for Mycoplasma and Chlamydia infections (ESGMAC) is calling on microbiologists and clinicians to complete the MyCOVID survey, which is examining the prevalence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae within the last 4 years.

The completion of the survey takes around 20 min (if data are on hand).

You can visit the survey here.

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ESCMID Study Group Elections: Voting is open!

On Friday, March 26th, we have opened the election phase for the Executive Committee of the Study Groups listed below. Members of these Study Groups are invited to vote until April 9th.

To access the voting platform, log in to my.escmid.org with your ESCMID credentials and click on the “Study Group Elections” icon. You can submit your votes for each election only one time, so make sure that you have selected all candidates you wish to vote for before submitting. Also remember that only one candidate per country can be elected to sit on the executive committee.

The Study Groups that are having elections are: ESGAI, ESGB, ESGBIES, ESGEM, ESGIAI, ESGICH, ESGMAC, ESGMD, ESGNI, ESGVH, ESGVM.

For any questions, contact science@escmid.org

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ECCMID Eats – Experience the flavours of Vienna at home!

Whilst it is unfortunate that we are not able to meet onsite for ECCMID in Vienna, ESCMID would still like for you to experience the culinary delights of Austria at home.

ESCMID has compiled a cookbook of our favourite classic Austrian recipes which will be sure to whet your appetite. Find the recipe book on the ECCMID website, and be sure to tag ESCMID on social media if you try any of the recipes!

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COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca: Direct Healthcare Professionals Communication (DHPC) on risk of thrombocytopenia and coagulation disorders

EMA would like to bring to your attention that a direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) has been recently published on the risk of thrombocytopenia and coagulation disorders with the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

You can find the full text of the DHPC by clicking here.

It contains important information for healthcare professionals prescribing, dispensing or administering this vaccine. As noted in the DHPC:

• Benefits of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca outweigh the risks despite possible link to very rare blood clots with low blood platelets.
• A combination of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia, in some cases accompanied by bleeding, has been observed very rarely following vaccination with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.
• Healthcare professionals should be alert to the signs and symptoms of thromboembolism and or thrombocytopenia.
• Those vaccinated should be instructed to seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal pain following vaccination. Additionally, anyone with neurological symptoms including severe or persistent headaches and blurred vision after vaccination, or who experiences skin bruising (petechia) beyond the site of vaccination after a few days, should seek prompt medical attention. 

Please feel free to disseminate this information within your networks.

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CMI highlight: Molecular analysis of clinical isolates of ceftazidime-avibactam-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

The aim of the present study is to analyse the strains collected during a one-year survey of ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA)-resistant KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp), in order to investigate the molecular mechanisms potentially responsible for their resistant phenotype. Clinical KPC-Kp isolates were collected from 31 patients in 6 different hospitals in Rome. For 8/31 patients, an additional strain grown before the start of treatment was also available, bringing the total of isolates studied to 39. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by automated system, broth microdilution and E-test as appropriate. In silico analysis of acquired resistance genes was achieved by whole-genome sequencing, while MLST and core genome multi locus sequence typing (cgMLST) were employed for molecular typing. Mutations associated with CZA resistance were identified by Sanger sequencing of the blaKPC gene. Possible mutations in OmpK35 and OmpK36 outer membrane proteins were also investigated. From the results obtained, different mutations including single amino-acid substitutions, insertions, or deletions within the blaKPC gene were found in 26/31 CZA -resistant KPC-Kp strains belonging to high-risk clones circulating in Italy. Furthermore, in 14/31 cases the isolates displayed resistance to both CZA and carbapenems, raising the alarm for the possible selection of a multi-drug-resistant phenotype.

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