Communicable

CMI Communications
  • 5.0 (3)
  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED MONTHLY
Communicable

Communicable takes on hot topics in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. Hosted by the editors of CMI Communications, the open-access journal of ESCMID, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

  1. Communicable E21: FMT for C. difficile infections - does it work?

    FEB 23

    Communicable E21: FMT for C. difficile infections - does it work?

    Several publications have described wondrous therapeutic effects of faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) on Clostridioides difficile infection. Yet the recent randomised trial assessing FMT in US veterans was terminated early for futility. In this episode, hosts Angela Huttner and Marc Bonten delve into the history, application, and complexities of FMT with experts Maria Vehreschild (Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany) and Dimitri Drekonja (Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Care System and University of Minnesota, US), who led the US trial. From the regulatory challenges and trial nuances to important new research, this conversation sheds light on a potentially revolutionary yet controversial treatment.  Episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer-reviewed by Arjana Zerja (Mother Theresa University Hospital Centre, Tirana, Albania). Other mentions: EurFMTEuropean Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare. Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application. vol. 5th ed. EDQM Council of Europe; 2022. https://freepub.edqm.eu/publications/17/detail Literature Drekonja DM et al (2024) Clin Infect Dis, doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae467

    57 min
  2. Communicable E20: Tuberculosis today

    FEB 9

    Communicable E20: Tuberculosis today

    Despite being preventable and curable, tuberculosis remains a major global health threat, infecting over 10 million people and claiming more than 1 million lives every year. In this episode of Communicable, hosts Angela Huttner and Navaneeth Narayanan discuss tuberculosis with experts Lorenzo Guglielmetti of Doctors without Borders and Olha Konstantynovska of Kharkiv National University, Ukraine. Key topics include the history, transmission, and pathophysiology of tuberculosis, as well as current diagnostic challenges and treatments for drug-resistant strains. The conversation highlights Lorenzo's work on the endTB project and Olha's experiences managing tuberculosis during the war in Ukraine. Despite advancements in treatment, the episode underscores the urgent need for political will and funding to combat this global health threat. This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer reviewed by Dr. Maria Ana de Quadros Flores e Santos of Unidade Local de Saude Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal.   Abbreviations and terminology used in this episode: MSF: Médecins sans Frontières, or Doctors without Borders (msf.org)FIND: Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (www.finddx.org)‘Intoxication symptoms’ are synonymous with ‘constitutional symptoms’ or ‘B symptoms’ of tuberculosis and include fever, night sweats, and unintentional weight loss.   Literature: endTB ProjectAnnual global tuberculosis report by WHO 2024 Dorman SE, et al. Four-Month Rifapentine Regimens with or without Moxifloxacin for Tuberculosis. N Engl J Med 2021 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2033400Guglielmetti L, et al. Oral Regimens for Rifampin-Resistant, Fluoroquinolone-Susceptible Tuberculosis. N Engl J Med 2025 doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2400327

    54 min
  3. Communicable E19: ‘Super gonorrhoea’ & other sexually transmitted infections

    JAN 26

    Communicable E19: ‘Super gonorrhoea’ & other sexually transmitted infections

    Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) affect millions globally daily, and multidrug-resistant strains are complicating treatment. Hosts Angela Huttner and Josh Davis welcome experts Dr. Teodora Elvira Wi from WHO and Professor Catriona Bradshaw from Monash University to discuss critical issues surrounding ‘super gonorrhoea,’ chlamydia, syphilis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and bacterial vaginosis. The episode reviews the latest epidemiology and highlights the need to innovate diagnostics and treatment options, destigmatise STIs, and promote people-centred healthcare strategies to manage and prevent these infections.    This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer-reviewed by Dr. Arjana Zerja of Mother Theresa University Hospital Centre, Tirana, Albania.     Literature: Guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infections. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Chris Kenyon et al. on screening impact for gonorrhoea and chlamydia infections in key populations The Lancet HIV 2024.

    58 min
  4. Communicable E18: The Nightmare Series, part 4 - How to manage polio and rubella

    JAN 12

    Communicable E18: The Nightmare Series, part 4 - How to manage polio and rubella

    Rising anti-vaccine sentiment and dissemination of misinformation are threats to public health. In the US, calls to revoke certain public health mandates have been proposed by likely members of the incoming administration, among them vaccination against polio. The fourth instalment of the Nightmare Series is both a cautionary tale and an effort to preserve and share clinical expertise on how to diagnose and manage polio and rubella in a world where, until now, few doctors have had to face these illnesses in the clinical setting. Host Angela Huttner welcomes Professor Emeritus of Infectious Diseases Bernard Hirschel at the University of Geneva and Dr. Kerrigan McCarthy of the Centre for Vaccines and Immunology at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for that discussion.   This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer-reviewed by Dr. Barbora Píšová in Antwerp, Belgium.   Literature   Link-Gelles R et al (2022) MMWR https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7133e2.htm    Ryerson AB et al (2022) MMWR https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7144e2.htm    Kasstan B et al (2023) Epidemiol Infect doi: 10.1017/S0950268823001127   NICD (2024) Report: Rubella in South Africa, 2024. https://www.nicd.ac.za/surge-in-rubella-cases-in-south-africa-november-2024/

    1 hr
  5. Communicable E17: Season’s greetings from the editors & holiday replay of late-breaker clinical trials at ESCMID Global 2024

    12/29/2024

    Communicable E17: Season’s greetings from the editors & holiday replay of late-breaker clinical trials at ESCMID Global 2024

    The last episode of the year carries a special end-of-year message from the CMI Comms editors and replays the very first episode of Communicable aired on 10 May 2024, in which editors Angela Huttner, Marc Bonten, and Erin McCreary discuss late-breaker clinical trials presented at ESCMID Global 2024 in Barcelona, providing insights into the trials’ designs, results, and implications. The DOTS trial compared two doses of long-acting dalbavancin to standard of care in patients with complicated S. aureus bacteraemia. GAME-CHANGER compared cefiderocol to standard of care for Gram-negative infections. PediCAP compared oral step-down therapy with amoxicillin with or without clavulanic acid at shorter durations to the current WHO-recommended standard of five days of intravenous antibiotic therapy in children with severe pneumonia. Additional results from the MULTICAP and CLEEN trials, the CAMERA-2 follow-on in vitro analysis, and the Burkina Faso Escherichia coli transmission study are also discussed. This episode was peer-reviewed by Dr. Yousra Kherabi (Clinical Trials Research Section, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA; Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department, Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris Cité, Paris; and Université Paris Cité, Inserm, IAME, Paris, France).

    1h 5m
  6. Communicable E16: Climate change and infections – effects on clinical practice & infection-control efforts

    12/15/2024

    Communicable E16: Climate change and infections – effects on clinical practice & infection-control efforts

    The topic of climate change can engender a ‘doom and gloom’ narrative, as many climate and health consequences are already manifesting. Our host, Dr. Navaneeth Narayanan is joined by two ID physicians passionate about climate change and sustainable clinical practice, Dr. Shreya Doshi (Washington DC, US) and Dr. Laura Jung (Leipzig, Germany). Together they discuss new trends in infectious diseases observed in clinical practice as a direct consequence of climate change, including how tropical diseases are not so tropical anymore. They also outline ways individual clinicians and hospitals can be more sustainable and offer additional resources for the listeners (see below).   This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer reviewed by Dr. Loora Grünvald of the University of Tartu, Estonia.    Literature Mora C et al. Nat Clim Chang (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41558-022-01426-1Doshi S et al. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc (2023). doi: 10.1093/jpids/piae029Hofmeister RJ et al. OFID (2024). doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae368 Judson SD et al. OFID (2024). doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae691Jung L et al. Lancet Planet Health (2023). 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00253-4UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance 2024 https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2024/09/26/default-calendar/un-general-assembly-high-level-meeting-on-antimicrobial-resistance-2024  Additional resources Lancet countdown on health and climate change  https://www.thelancet.com/countdown-health-climateMedicine for a changing planet https://www.medicineforachangingplanet.org/Rx for climate https://www.rxforclimate.org/

    51 min
  7. Communicable E15: Wastewater surveillance – can it really protect us from infections?

    12/01/2024

    Communicable E15: Wastewater surveillance – can it really protect us from infections?

    Wastewater surveillance is a powerful epidemiological tool that “mirrors our life,” and has gained wide attention in recent years due to its application during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hosts this week, Drs. Navaneeth Narayanan and Emily McDonald, are joined by two wastewater surveillance experts, Dr. Nasreen Hassoun-Kheir of Geneva University Hospitals, a WHO Collaborating Centre on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as well as Professor David Graham of Newcastle University, United Kingdom, to discuss how this surveillance method—as well as a multidisciplinary approach—are central to understanding community health, infection control and pandemic preparedness.   This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer reviewed by Dr. James Donnelly of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Dublin, Ireland. Literature UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Bracing for superbugs (2023) https://www.unep.org/resources/superbugs/environmental-action    Hassoun-Kheir N, et al. EMBRACE-WATERS statement (2021). doi:10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100339   Hassoun-Kheir N, et al. Systematic review (2020). doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140804   Trask JD, et al. (1942). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2135222/ Chapters (00:00) - Introduction (03:03) - Icebreaker question (08:33) - What is wastewater surveillance (WWS)? (12:47) - How does WWS relate to infection surveillance? (16:57) - WWS & pandemic preparedness (21:09) - Is the data accessible to the public? (25:10) - WWS uses in healthcare settings & mass health: what it can and cannot answer (43:00) - What's next for WWS: experts' picks (48:33) - Take-home messages

    55 min
  8. Communicable E14 - Substandard and falsified antimicrobials: what is their effect on patients and on AMR?

    11/18/2024

    Communicable E14 - Substandard and falsified antimicrobials: what is their effect on patients and on AMR?

    Substandard and falsified (SF) antimicrobials are a neglected global health problem and have been implicated as drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Substandard medicines are authorized medical products that fail to meet either their quality standards or their specifications, whereas falsified medicines are those that deliberately and fraudulently misrepresent their identity, composition or source. Host Angela Huttner is joined by Pernette Bourdillon Esteve, Technical Officer for the World Health Organization’s Substandard/falsified Medical Products group, and Ben Cooper, epidemiologist at Oxford University and head of its Drug-Resistant Infection and Disease Dynamics (DRIaDD), to explore the effects of SF antimicrobials on people and AMR. This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer-reviewed by Dr. Arjana Zerja of Mother Teresa University Hospital in Tirana, Albania.   Literature   Cavany S et al.  Nat Commun 14, 6153 (2023). doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-41542-w   WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System for substandard and falsified medical products (2017). https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241513425

    52 min
See All (21)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Communicable takes on hot topics in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. Hosted by the editors of CMI Communications, the open-access journal of ESCMID, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

Information

  • Creator
    CMI Communications
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 CMI Communications

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada