Plastic waste has become a problem of immense proportions.
Which of the following is true about plastics?
a. Researchers have shown increased frequency of
plasmid transfer among environmental bacteria associated with microplastics.
b. 128 billion
plastic bottles each year are produced by one large cola producer alone.
c. Nanoplastics, which are not visible with the
naked eye, are generated during breakdown of larger plastics in the
environment.
d. Plastics have been an essential component of
medical devices, airbags, and bottled water, which has provided clean drinking water to millions in resource-limited settings.
e. All of the above.
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The answer is at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Professional Field Exchange Update: Wakefield Pork
welcomed MOHASC to learn about swine production and antibiotic stewardship
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On July 18, sixteen members of Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative (MOHASC) from
healthcare, public health, environmental health, and animal health visited
Wakefield Pork in Gaylord, MN.
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The visit included a swine barn tour and
discussions on biosecurity, swine health, manure management, and antibiotic use
and stewardship.
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MOHASC thanks Wakefield Pork, their staff, and
Swine Vet Center veterinarians for terrific hospitality and for facilitating a great cross-disciplinary
discussion of antibiotic use!
Scientific
talks and interviews from the annual MOHASC meeting archived online
- Scientific
talks cover topics such as the Minnesota antibiotic footprint, management of antibiotic-containing
agricultural runoff, and the need for a collaborative approach to antibiotic
stewardship in healthcare settings.
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Also
find an interview with “Brains On!” podcast host, Molly Bloom, who shared her
ideas for communicating science to the public.
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Watch the talks and interviews from the 2018 Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative Annual Meeting.
Syndrome-specific prescribing tools available
- Are
you a healthcare provider caring for patients with sinusitis, bronchitis, otitis media,
pharyngitis, or cystitis? Our website includes new syndrome-specific
prescribing resources from CDC and several state health departments.
New “For Educators” page on the One
Health Antibiotic Stewardship website
- Check
out the newly added "For Educators" page, which has presentations, online trainings, tools,
and other resources about antibiotic resistance and stewardship.
- Stay
tuned for a “request for speaker” or “ask a question” option that will connect
you with the One Health Stewardship Collaborative.
MOHASC at the Minnesota State Fair!
- Members
of the Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative (MOHASC) will
be at the 2018 State Fair to discuss the problem of antibiotic
resistance, how antibiotic stewardship can make an impact, and what everyone can do to combat resistance.
- Find us in the Eco Experience Building, learn more
about our unique Stewardship Collaborative, and participate in our
stewardship pledge!
-
On Thursday, August 30, at 5 PM, a panel of MOHASC members will discuss antibiotic resistance and stewardship on the Eco Experience Sustainability Stage.
- The Minnesota State Fair runs August 23–September 3, 2018.
Commit to keeping medications out of our waterways by using and
promoting take-back boxes!
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Utilize
the MPCA “Take
it to the Box Toolkit” created by our partners at Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to demonstrate your clinic’s commitment to
proper medication disposal.
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MPCA
has a downloadable collection of logos, designed template, and graphics that
will help your community provide a safe medication drop-off program.
- Have
leftover medication? Keep antibiotics out of our lakes and streams and find the
closest medication take-back location with Earth 911.
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Regions Hospital, HealthPartners System, and Minneapolis VA contribute to national tracking of antibiotic
use.
- Participation in CDC's Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Module has been rising nationally in recent years.
- The AUR Module, a component of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), enables
hospitals to
monitor antibiotic use in individual patient care units and across
all inpatient units.
- Participating hospitals benefit from a Standardized Antimicrobial Administration Ratio, which compares
use rates to those in similar hospitals across the U.S.
- Kudos to the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Regions Hospital, and the HealthPartners System for taking the important step of AUR reporting.
- More
information about antibiotic use reporting and the AUR Module on the MDH website.
If you are interested in learning more about this system, particularly to
explore using this in your hospital, please contact MDH at health.hai@state.mn.us.
New research: Outpatient antibiotic use in
the U.S.
- A new publication highlights the state
of antibiotic prescribing and stewardship across the U.S., including the following
key findings.
- 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions are
unnecessary, and southern states tend to have higher
rates of antibiotic prescribing.
- Initiating 23% of all outpatient
prescriptions, nurse practitioners and physician assistants are important
partners in antibiotic stewardship.
- Read the article in Pediatrics: Outpatient Antibiotic Use
and the Need for Increased Antibiotic Stewardship Efforts
CDC-Pew study shows antibiotics are
unnecessarily prescribed for common respiratory conditions in outpatient
settings
FDA Commissioner describes new efforts to advance stewardship in veterinary settings.
- In a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) news release on July 31, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb identifies antimicrobial resistance as a top priority for the agency.
- FDA will implement a five-year blueprint for how the agency will build on current programs to advance antimicrobial stewardship
in veterinary settings.
- Three new activity goals are: aligning antimicrobial use with principles of
stewardship; supporting better
stewardship of antimicrobials in veterinary settings; and enhancing the
monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial drug use in
animals.
New overview of antimicrobial use measurement in animals published.
Minnesota researchers study correlations among antibiotics, metals, and resistance genes in aquatic environments.
Iowa State University selected to lead national antimicrobial resistance institute.
- The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges has identified Iowa State University as the seat of a national institute addressing antimicrobial resistance.
- Read the Iowa State University news release describing plans for the Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education.
Registration open for 2018 Minnesota CHAIN
Fall Conference
- Minnesota
Collaborative Healthcare-Associated Infections Network (CHAIN) Fall Conference
is Wednesday, September 26, 2018.
- This
free, half-day event starts at 12:30PM and is applicable for infection
preventionists, nurse managers, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and all healthcare
professionals working to prevent healthcare-associated infections and combat
antibiotic resistance.
- Register
for the 2018
Minnesota CHAIN Fall Conference
Registration open for SHEA
Antimicrobial Stewardship Research Workshop
CDC-AHRQ Safety Program for Improving
Antibiotic Use
- CDC
invites long-term care facilities to join a free 12-month program to help
improve antibiotic stewardship and antibiotic prescribing practices.
- Participating
facilities receive antibiotic use guidelines for common infectious disease
syndromes, expert coaching, online training, patient and family education
materials, and more. Free continuing education credits are also available.
- Register
for the Safety Program for
Antibiotic Stewardship
CDC Online Antibiotic Stewardship Training
- CDC launched the
second of a four-part web-based training course on antibiotic stewardship,
which focuses on outpatient settings and communication practices.
- Doctors, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants, certified health education specialists,
nurses, pharmacists, and public health practitioners with a master’s degree in
public health are eligible to receive up to eight hours of free CE.
-
Register for the CDC
Training on Antibiotic Stewardship.
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e. All of the above.
We have all heard that the problem of plastics is immense. In the June Issue of National Geographic Magazine, our relationship with plastics is described in detail, as are the potential harms of plastic degradation.(1) The article includes many surprising and alarming facts about the massive scale of plastic production and the growing bottleneck of disposal.
A new publication in the journal Environmental Pollution provides another motivation to decrease plastic consumption and increase cleanup and mitigation activities. Pollution
by microplastics in aquatic ecosystems might act as a surface for biofilm
formation and gene exchange. Researchers
found an increased frequency of plasmid transfer among bacteria associated with
microplastics as compared to free-living bacteria or those in natural
aggregates. Increased
gene exchange was observed in a range of phylogenetically-diverse bacteria.(2)
1. Planet or Plastic? National Geographic Magazine. June 2018. Last accessed July 27, 2018.
2. Microplastic pollution increases gene exchange in aquatic ecosystems. Environmental Pollution. June 2018. Abstract last accessed July 27, 2018.
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