European Congress Of Clinical Microbiology And Infectious Diseases Research Articles

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Clostridioides difficile Infection: Targeting an Unwelcome and Persistent Threat

An integrated symposium, with an esteemed panel of experts, discussed the burden and treatment approaches for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). The session took place on 17th April 2023 as part of the 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The session was co-chaired by Mark Wilcox, Head of Microbiology Research & Development and Infection Lead at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK, and Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Leeds, UK; and Anne Gonzales-Luna, Assistant Professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Texas, USA. Sarah Tschudin-Sutter, Professor and Head Division of Hospital Epidemiology at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, explored the changing landscape for CDI, including the epidemiology and surveillance of infection, and approaches to diagnosis. John Coia, Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Regional Health Research, University of South Denmark, and Honorary Research Fellow at Glasgow University, UK; and Esther Calbo, Professor and Head of Infectious Disease at the Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa, Spain, gave an overview of the burden of recurrent CDI, dysbiosis in CDI, and the role in recurrent CDI, mortality risk, and the importance of targeting recurrence. Calbo also presented an interactive case study that allowed audience members to engage and review the patient case presented. The faculty panel explored with the audience how to approach assessment and treatment to achieve the best outcome for the patient case. Benoît Guery, Associate Professor Infectious Disease at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Switzerland, presented data from the EXTEND study, which explored extended-pulse dosing regimens of antibiotics (fidaxomicin) in CDI.

Review of the 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2023

Review of the 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2023

How scientists and physicians use Twitter during a medical congress

ObjectivesDuring medical congresses Twitter allows discussions to disseminate beyond the congress hall and reach a wider audience. Insights into the dynamics of social media interactions during congresses, dissemination of scientific information and the determinants of a successful tweet may allow us to better understand social media's role in science communication. MethodsWe retrospectively extracted social media data during the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2017 and 2018 using NodeXL. We compared social media activity during these two congresses. Subsequently, we conducted in-depth analyses to identify the components of a successful tweet and multivariable analysis to assess independent factors associated with retweet activity. ResultsIn 2018, approximately 13 000 delegates attended ECCMID, but only 591 Twitter accounts actively tweeted about the congress. Although fewer tweets were posted in 2018 compared with 2017 (4213 versus 4657, respectively), ECCMID 2018 generated a 63% increase in the total number of retweets (p < 0.001). According to multivariable logistic regression analysis, using multimedia, URL or hashtags and mentioning other Twitter account(s) were independently associated with retweet success. Mentioning of other users and use of multimedia were the only consistent predictors of retweets irrespective of the number of followers. ConclusionsA substantial increase in retweet activity and a modest increase in the number of influential Twitter accounts were observed between two successive congresses. Dissemination of scientific messages is more successful when connected accounts are actively involved in social media activity, and social media posts constitute the right combination of components.

Optimizing the Management of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Transplant Patients

The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) is the world's leading congress in infectious diseases, attracting nearly 13,000 delegates in 2018. Cytomegalovirus was a major topic for discussion, since it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients. In the future, novel diagnostic technologies and new antiviral drugs may help to reduce the risk of post-transplant cytomegalovirus infection and disease, and so improve outcomes for patients. Report from the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 2018), Madrid, Spain, 21–24 April 2018.

ECCMID 2016: addressing the burden of recurrent Clostridium difficile infections.

26th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), 9-12th April 2016, Amsterdam, The Netherlands The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) is the annual scientific meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology. ECCMID 2016, held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, was attended by over 11,600 clinical microbiologists and infectious disease physicians from more than 120 countries. The Congress offered an essential opportunity to learn more about the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of healthcare-associated infections, especially those caused by Clostridium difficile. Recurrent C. difficile infections have an especially serious adverse impact on patients, their families and healthcare systems across Europe and around the world, and continue to be a cause for concern among ECCMID delegates and their colleagues responsible for managing vulnerable patients in acute hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Improving outcomes in the management of Gram-negative bacterial infections in the face of growing antimicrobial resistance.

26th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2016): 9-12 April 2016, Amsterdam, The Netherlands The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology, had a record attendance at the 2016 meeting, with more than 11,600 scientists and clinicians from 120 countries sharing the latest research and information on infectious diseases. This article reviews sessions on the growing threat of antibiotic resistance in the management of Gram-negative bacterial infections and potential solutions, including optimizing initial drug choice and dosing, development of new options and improving antimicrobial stewardship.

The 25th European Congress of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, Denmark

The 25th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), which was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, between the 25th and 28th of April in 2015, dedicated a great amount of time to discussing vaccines. Particularly highlighted were their significant direct and indirect benefits in all age groups and the great interest of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in the prevention of infectious diseases.

Prevalence of fecal carriage of extended-spectrum- and metallo-β-lactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria among neonates born in a hospital setting in central Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVECommensal neonatal fecal flora constitute a reservoir of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to characterize the prevalence of fecal carriage of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and carbapenemase producing gram-negative bacteria among 150 neonates who were born in two hospitals in central Saudi Arabia.PATIENTS AND METHODSFrom June 2012 to Janauary 2013, 150 healthy neonates ≤7 days of age were screened for intestinal enteric bacteria colonization and the influence of age, mode of delivery, body weight and breast feeding of neonates on colonzation rates. The isolates were identified manually and by VITEK 2 and antibiotic susceptibility was tested. Phenotypic tests were performed to seek ESBL and metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) producers in recovered isolates.RESULTSAmong 150 fecal specimens, 188 gram-negative rods were recovered. E coli (n=130; 69.1%) was the commonest organism followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=23; 12.2%), Pseudomonas aeuroginosa (n=14; 7.5%), Acinetobacter baumannii (n=9; 4.8%), Enterobacter spp. (n=9; 4.8%) and Morganella morganii (n=3; 1.6%). E coli colonization during the first day of life was 95.5% (n=43/45), which was relatively higher than in subsequent days. The colonization rate of E coli among low weight babies (≤3 kg) was significantly higher than fully grown neonates (≥4 kg)(P=.03). The prevalence of ESBL and MBL was 15.0% (n=28/188) and 1.6% (n=3/188). The prevalence rates of ESBL in E coli, K pneumoniae, E cloacae, M morganii and E aerogenes were 16.9% (n=22/130), 4.3 % (n=1/23), 60% (n=3/5), 33.3% (n=1/3), and 25% (n=1/4), respectively. All E cloacae with ESBLs and MBLs were resistant to all tested antibiotics including carbapenems.CONCLUSIONWithin the first week of life, the most important determinants of gut enteric bacteria composition in neonates were age in days, body weight, mode of delivery, and type of neonatal feeding. The findings of ESBLs- and MBLs-producing enteric bacteria as neonate-gut colonizers may have wider implication or linkage to prevention of nosocomial and community-acquired infections by these strains.

24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Barcelona, Spain - May 10-13, 2014

24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Barcelona, Spain - May 10-13, 2014

24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Barcelona, Spain - May 10-13, 2014

24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Barcelona, Spain - May 10-13, 2014

Experience with pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (conjugated to CRM197 carrier protein) in children and adults

Streptococcus pneumoniae-related infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people of all ages worldwide. Pneumococcal vaccine development started in 1911 with a whole cell vaccine and more recently multivalent plain polysaccharide and polysaccharide conjugate vaccines have been developed. The recent vaccines rely on capsular polysaccharide antigens to induce serotype-specific immune responses. We summarize here the presentations on pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine (conjugated to CRM197 carrier protein) given during the integrated symposium organized and funded by Pfizer International Operations during the 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 31 March to 3 April 2012, London, UK. A dramatic reduction in the incidence of invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) due to vaccine serotypes (VST-IPD) has been reported since the introduction of a hepta-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7). An indirect (herd) effect has been demonstrated to be associated with PCV7 infant vaccination programmes, with many studies reporting reductions in VST-IPD in populations that are not eligible for PCV7 vaccination. Since 2010, a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) has been introduced into national immunization programmes and results from early surveillance suggest that this vaccine also has an impact on the serotypes unique to PCV13, as well as continuing to protect against the PCV7 serotypes. Data from a passive surveillance system in Europe in 2009, for instance, showed that the highest incidence of IPD remains in those aged >65 years and in children <5 years. PCV13 has now been licensed for vaccination of adults >50 years based on safety and immunogenicity data; an efficacy trial is being conducted. Regardless of previous pneumococcal vaccination status, if the use of 23-valent polysaccharide is considered appropriate, it is recommended to give PCV13 first. Novel immunization strategies remain the only practical means to reduce significantly the remaining global mortality and morbidity due to S. pneumoniae in adults.

New generation sequencing in pathogen discovery and microbial surveillance

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).Berlin, Germany, 27–30 April 2013The annual congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is recognized as the largest European congress for the presentation and discussion of the key priorities and more recent scientific developments in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection. This year, it attracted almost 10,000 participants from all over the world. Keynote lectures, symposia, meet-the-expert sessions, educational workshops, poster and oral sessions covered the diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases, as well as related basic microbiology. Moreover, interactive sessions addressing specific subjects underlined the important educational aspect of the ECCMID’s congress. The scientific program, abstracts, oral presentations are available at their website . This meeting report is focused on one of the several challenging and one of the most transversal topics of the meeting: the application of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) to the microbial world.

Meeting the Challenge of Invasive Fungal Infections: Part 1

The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), the annual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, is now the world's largest conference on infectious diseases. This year, the meeting attracted a global attendance of more than 10,000 scientists and clinicians to share state-of-the-art information on infectious diseases. This article, the first of a two-part report on the ECCMID 2013 conference, reviews sessions on the increasing challenges and emerging new threats from invasive fungal infections.

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Berlin, Germany - April 27-30, 2013

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Berlin, Germany - April 27-30, 2013

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Berlin, Germany - April 27-30, 2013

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). Berlin, Germany - April 27-30, 2013

Invasive fungal infections

2012, London. 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID). With over 300 million serious fungal infections worldwide, we need to be aware of the size of the problem (http://www.fungalresearch trust.org/HowCommonareFungalDiseases2.pdf) and the need for more diagnostic tools and treatment options. Given that the mortality of candidemia and septic shock has been shown to increase by 7.6% with every hour of delay in therapy initiation (Kumar A et al. ICAAC 2007, poster K-2174), a timely diagnosis is literally vital. A classical approach can provide a diagnosis within 72 hours, through microscopy and cultures. A newer approach based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) can shorten the time to diagnosis, but we still have a long way to go in finding diagnostic algorithms with improved sensitivity and specificity. A recent study by Nguyen et al. (Clin Infect Dis. 2012; 54(9):1240-8) showed that PCR and blood cultures identified the same Candida species in 82% of patients and that PCR had a sensitivity of 80% in diagnosing invasive candidiasis, compared with 56% for BDG. When combining blood cultures with PCR or BDG, the sensitivity increased to 98% and 79, respectively. Awareness of fungal infections is of utmost importance because, naturally, the first step to a diagnosis is thinking about a possible infection. Fungi have not always been high on the list of possible etiologies but in modern times they definitely should be considered given the increasing life expectancy, the high number of comorbidities, with diabetes ranking high as comorbidity and cofactor for invasive fungal infections. When discussing fungi, we should be aware of their worldwide distribution, particularly since travel appears to increase exponentially. News from last week’s air flight entertainment magazines pointed out that one day traffic in 2012 is equivalent to one year worth of travel in 2007. Therefore, travel medicine also plays an increasingly important role in diagnosing and treating fungal infections. For further details on the conference, visit the conference website at http://www.congrex.ch/eccmid2012/home.html.

Report from the 21st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) and 27th International Congress of Chemotherapy (ICC), Milan, Italy, May 7-10, 2011

Report from the 21st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) and 27th International Congress of Chemotherapy (ICC), Milan, Italy, May 7-10, 2011

A report from the 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (March 31-April 4, 2012 - London, UK)

The 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) centered much of the scientific attention on the background of increasing resistance, the re-emergence of old pathogens and the increasing spread of bacteria thought to be exclusive of certain areas through international travel. Important news on putative new therapies overcoming the challenges infectious diseases are placing on populations around the world were discussed during 4 days of oral and poster sessions. This report will briefly summarize new findings leading to new and putative new treatment modalities for diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites.

Fighting antibiotic resistance all over Europe

On 10–13 April 2010, the 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) took place in Vienna, Austria. The scientific program touched a wide range of issues, some controversial, in the fields of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. Particular attention was dedicated to modern aspects in research methodology, the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing breakpoints and methods, infection control programs, antibiotic stewardship and new therapeutic challenges for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This year ECCMID attracted more than 7000 delegates from 98 countries all over Europe and beyond. The participation of a such significant number of scientists presented a unique opportunity for discussion on several clinical and research topics.