S2E6: Antimicrobial Resistance--the Next Global Pandemic?

The World Health Organization cites antimicrobial resistance, or AMR, as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 2.8 million people in the U.S. contract an antibiotic-resistant infection every year—and more than 35,000 die. What do laboratory professionals need to know about the emerging data around antimicrobial resistance? And what can we do in the lab to support infection prevention and control? 

On this episode of Inside the Lab, our hosts Dr. Lotte Mulder and Ms. Kelly Swails are joined by Dr. Patricia Simner, PhD, D(ABMM), Associate Professor of Pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of the Medical Bacteriology and Infectious Disease Sequencing Laboratories at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Romney Humphries, PhD, D(ABMM), M(ASCP), Medical Director of Microbiology and Director of Infectious Disease Laboratories at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Dr. Lynn Bry, MD, PhD, Medical Director of Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Director of the Massachusetts Host-Microbiome Center at Harvard Medical School, to discuss antimicrobial resistance. 

Our panelists discuss the current fears surrounding emerging antibiotic resistance in the U.S. and explain how AMR is changing the way we practice medicine. They explore what lab professionals can do to navigate the workflow challenges in microbiology caused by antimicrobial resistance and describe the most worrisome resistance signatures in the emerging data. Listen in for insight on how to participate in efforts to combat emerging resistance and prepare your lab for an encounter with multidrug-resistant organisms. 

Topics Covered  

· The biggest challenges around antimicrobial resistance facing the human population today 
· Current fears surrounding emerging antimicrobial resistance in the U.S.
· What laboratory professionals can do to navigate the workflow challenges in microbiology caused by AMR
· How labs can participate in regional, national, and global efforts to combat emerging resistance
· Hope for combating antimicrobial resistance 

Connect with ASCP
ASCP
ASCP on Twitter 

Connect with Dr. Simner
Dr. Simner on Twitter
Dr. Simner at Johns Hopkins 

Connect with Dr. Humphies
Dr. Humphries on Twitter
Dr. Humphries at Vanderbilt 

Connect with Dr. Bry
 Dr. Bry on Twitter
Dr. Bry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital 

Connect with Dr. Mulder & Ms. Swails
Dr. Mulder on Twitter
Ms. Swails on Twitter 

Resources
CDC Info on Antibiotic Resistance
WHO Fact Sheet on Antimicrobial Resistance
Inside the Lab in the ASCP Store