Success for EPI-Net

COMBACTE-MAGNET’s EPI-Net has been very active over the last months and succeeded in establishing a network of scientists from academic, public health agencies, research foundations, and industry, to drive consensus for the standardization of surveillance measures and procedures against healthcare associated infections and in particular those due to resistant pathogens.

The group has been working on a publication policy (currently under review within in the COMBACTE Consortium) and on mapping active epidemiological efforts within the ND4BB projects. Major achievements of EPI-Net have been summarized in “a call to action” paper that, involving academic and EFPIA partners and major international stakeholders, would like to be a “wake-up message” in support of public health and drug development priorities related to antimicrobials (under revision). To prove the case, European data on the prevalence of bloodstream infections due to MRSA, VSE and MRCoNS and glycopeptides DDD for 1000 inhabitants in European countries have been analysed and showed lack of connection between empiric antibiotic prescribing and availability of surveillance data,

In August EPI-Net completed three major systematic reviews constituting the backbone to develop a new European coherent epidemiology strategy: EMBARGO (EpideMiology of outBreaks due to Antibiotic-Resistant orGanisms in EurOpe), SURVAIL (SURVeillance of Antimicrobial resistance in anImal and food) and SUSPIRE (SUrveillance Systems from Public health Institutions and scientific societies for Antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections in Europe). The mappings have been completed through detailed literature research, experts’ involvements, collaboration with the European Center for Diseases Control (ECDC), ESCMID Committee in Infection Control (EUCIC) and WHO. The results are under analysis and will be presented in the deliverable planned for the end of the year. The data will also be used to design the EPI-Net Central Repository Data that will be aligned with the other COMBACTE structures. We are always happy to receive inputs, comments and suggestions for collaborative projects increasing awareness of epidemiology in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and development of new antibiotics.

Please contact:

Evelina Tacconelli (Evelina.Tacconelli@med.uni-tuebingen.de)

Nithya Babu Rajendran (Nithya.Babu-Rajendran@med.uni-tuebingen.de)