The impact of television on-air time on hand hygiene compliance behaviors during COVID-19 outbreak.

Background: There is limited data to support the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hand hygiene compliance among hospital visitors.

Methods: We monitored hand hygiene compliance among university hospital visitors in Osaka, Japan by direct observation, from December 2019 to March 2022. During this time, we measured the amount of coverage time dedicated to COVID-19 related news on the local public television channel and the number of confirmed cases and deaths.

Nationwide multicenter questionnaire surveys on countermeasures against antimicrobial resistance and infections in hospitals.

Background: The goals of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) of Japan include "implementing appropriate infection prevention and control" and "appropriate use of antimicrobials," which are relevant to healthcare facilities. Specifically, linking efforts between existing infection control teams and antimicrobial stewardship programs was suggested to be important. Previous studies reported that human resources, such as full-time equivalents of infection control practitioners, were related to improvements in antimicrobial stewardship.

Economic impact of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria outbreaks on Japanese hospitals.

Background: Economic evaluation from the perspective of hospitals is important for the optimization of resources for infection control measures.

Methods: We considered outbreaks that occurred from 2006 to 2016 in Japan. Cost identification analyses were conducted using data from 23 outbreaks by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

Association of Adverse Drug Events with Broad-spectrum Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Patients: A Single-center Study.

Objective The importance of antimicrobial stewardship is increasingly highlighted in this age of antimicrobial resistance. A better comprehension of adverse drug events (ADEs) can promote the appropriate use of antibiotics. We aimed to quantify the incidence of ADEs associated with broad-spectrum systemic antibiotics in a hospital setting.

PCR-Dipstick-Oriented Surveillance and Characterization of - and Carbapenemase-Carrying in a Thai Hospital.

Colistin is used as an alternative therapeutic for carbapenemase-producing (CPE) infections which are spreading at a very high rate due to the transfer of carbapenemase genes through mobile genetic elements. Due to the emergence of , the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene, -positive (MCRPEn) pose a high risk for the transfer of -carrying plasmid to CPE, leading to a situation with no treatment alternatives for infections caused by possessing both and carbapenemase genes. Here, we report the application of PCR-dipstick-oriented surveillance strategy to control MCRPEn and CPE by conducting the PCR-dipstick technique for the detection of MCRPEn and CPE in a tertiary care hospital in Thailand and comparing its efficacy with conventional surveillance method.

Antibiotic-associated adverse drug events at a Japanese academic hospital.

Introduction: To promote antimicrobial stewardship activity, an understanding of the incidence of antibiotic-associated adverse drug events (ADEs) is essential. In this study, we aimed to describe the occurrence of antibiotic-associated ADEs at our hospital.

Methods: We retrospectively searched the ADE registration system in Osaka University Hospital between 2010 and 2017.

The first report of human meningitis and pyogenic ventriculitis caused by Streptococcus suis: A case report.

Streptococcus suis, a gram-positive facultative anaerobe commonly found in pigs, is an emerging zoonotic pathogen. Herein, we describe a case of a 45-year-old male Japanese meat wholesaler with S. suis meningitis and pyogenic ventriculitis.

Integration of DPC and clinical microbiological data in Japan reveals importance of confirming a negative follow-up blood culture in patients with MRSA bacteremia.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia is one of the commonest and most life-threatening of all infectious diseases. The morbidity and mortality rates associated with MRSA bacteremia are higher than those associated with bacteremia caused by other pathogens. A common guideline in MRSA bacteremia treatment is to confirm bacteremia clearance through additional blood cultures 2-4 days after initial positive cultures and as needed thereafter.

A case of breakthrough fungemia during micafungin therapy for a bloodstream infection.

We describe a case of breakthrough Candida parapsilosis fungemia in an 80-year-old woman with pyoderma gangrenosum and rheumatoid arthritis. C. parapsilosis was detected in blood culture while the patient was treated with micafungin for a Candida glabrata bloodstream infection.

[Confusion Over the Term "Contamination Rate" as It Pertains to Blood Cultures].

The blood culture contamination rate is often used to validate specimen-collection procedures. CUMITECH has set its optimal target to be 2% to 3%. However, the term "contamination rate" has been defined in many ways, limiting its generalizability.

Distribution of Candida species isolated from blood cultures in hospitals in Osaka, Japan.

Background: Candida species are clinically important causes of bloodstream infections because their mortality is very high. Given that some species of Candida are azole-resistant, identifying the distributions of Candida species could facilitate the formulation of an appropriate empirical antifungal therapy. It has been shown that the distribution varies depending on the continent, country, city, and hospital.