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Further postings not expected. If there are corrections required, concerns or questions about existing postings, please contact mdjkf@me.com. We recommend attention to the CLARITY website for uptodate infectious diseases content. For instance this summary of the ESCMID conference highlights Highlights of ESCMID Global 2026 from the CLARITY faculty For Hunter New England Health users, there […]
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Further to Professor Jason Trubiano’s instructive post last year concerning penicillin allergy and its risks of recurrence, here is the HNE approach to using the PEN_fast score (that his team developed and validated). This approach is increasingly used across Australia and the world to screen patients and determine whether an allergy alert can be safely […]
The collated antibiograms by region for 2024, have been compiled by Dr Rob George, Pathology NSW are now available on the HNE intranet at this location. This is the summary report: HNE_antibiogram_-_2024
Guess posting from Dr Catherine Berry, Antimicrobial Stewardship Physician, Hunter New England Health, Staff Specialist, Infectious Diseases, John Hunter Hospital, Conjoint Lecturer, School of Medicine & Public Health, University of Newcastle . This update has been a big one – the first substantial update since 2019. There is a lot to take in and a comprehensive […]
Guest posting: Dr Eliza Milliken, Infectious Diseases Physician, Clinical Pharmacology Fellow, Chair District Quality Use of Medicines, Hunter New England Health Key takeaways Antibiotics are selective chemotherapeutic agents—cytotoxic to bacteria, not humans Antibiotic efficacy is governed by a complex interplay of host pharmacokinetics and organism pharmacodynamics It’s not just about T>MIC or half-life—dosing needs context […]
Guest posting: Dr Penny Webster, Staff Specialist Geriatric Medicine, Hunter New England Health Hydration Increasing fluid intake (by 1.5 litres per day) was shown in an RCT to reduce the incidence of urinary infections in premenopausal women (Hooton et al 2018 JAMA Int Med). The effect size was considerable – during the 12-months, the mean […]
Guest posting: Professor Joshua Davis, University of Newcastle, Menzies School of Health Research and John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia Again, here is his thought-provoking survey of the medical ID literature. These were the criteria for his (personal) choice: COVID papers excluded Published during 2024 Deal with diagnosis or treatment of infectious diseases Relevant to […]
Guest posting: Dr Tom Goodsall, Gastroenterologist, Hunter New England Local Health District Presentation with case reports: Dec 2024 Goodsall FMT at John Hunter Hospital Take home messages FMT is an effective and safe treatment for recurrent or refractory diarrhoea / colitis due to C. difficile FMT is delivered at John Hunter Hospital as a TGA-approved […]
Guest posting Dr Victoria Jordan, Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Registrar, Pathology NSW. What is asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB)? This is the presence of significant bacterial growth ((≥105 colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) in the urine in the absence of urinary symptoms. It likely occurs via ascension from perineal flora. Commoner with aging: prevalence 5% in healthy premenopausal women; […]
AIMED - Let's talk about antibiotics 