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Antimicrobial Resistance Conference Closes

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The 2010 Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases was held last week in the Washington, DC area.

Doctors, pharmacologists, professors, scientists, and policy makers convened for 3 full days at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Bethesda to share their knowledge about the growing problem of antibiotic resistance in both humans and animals.

The overall conference objectives were to discuss the science, prevention, and control of antimicrobial resistance, and to define issues and potential solutions to the problem of antimicrobial resistance in a symposium format.

The Keynote Address on The Globalization of Antimicrobial Resistance was given by Dr. David L. Heymann, of the Health Protection Agency in London, United Kingdom. 

Dr. Heymann opened with troubling data and graphics depicting the wide geographic distribution of Influenza A, (H1N1).  According to Dr. Heymann, 1% of H1N1 strains are resistant to the 3 drugs and one vaccine prescribed to combat the pandemic.

His presentation gave a brief evolution of diseases and antibiotic use.  He emphasized the problem of rapid increase of resistant strains of H1N1 and the evolution of penicillin resistance of Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA).  Dr. Heymann also discussed issues with Malaria transmission areas and reported drug resistance; antimicrobial resistant tuberculosis in the UK; new cases of MDR TB; and penicillin-resistant Gonorrhea.

Dr. Heymann equated today's H1N1 pandemic to the global spread of chloroquine resistant strains of p. falciparum during the 1950s through the 1980s.  He also encouraged health care professionals to stop the over-use of antibiotics. 

According to Dr. Heymann's presentation, 45 percent of deaths in low-income nations are caused primarily by five types of infectious diseases; lower respiratory disease, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, and malaria.  There are no vaccines for any of these diseases.

Though presenters hailed from all over the world and offered various areas of expertise, all agreed that the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance needs to be combated by practicing wise antibiotic stewardship and focusing on new technologies as well as funding more research and development.

For more information on the specific speakers and presentations, please see the list below in order to direct you to additional articles.

2010 Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance Symposia included:

• The Economic and Public Policy Aspects of Antibiotic Resistance and Antibiotic Development
• Susceptibility Issues
• Implications of Rapid Diagnostic Testing
• Antiviral Drug Resistance 
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
• Stewardship & Policy
  

Full post as published by Food Safety News on February 06, 2010 (boomark / email).