CDC Seeks to Limit Drug-Resistant Infection Spread in Healthcare Settings With Awards to 28 Organizations

A global information network for combating emerging antibiotic-resistant infections will be established to address the growing risk of “superbugs” that are difficult to treat with existing drugs

Federal health regulators recently launched a large-scale initiative that is intended to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria and “superbug” infections that are difficult to treat, and potentially deadly.

This month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $22 million to nearly 30 organizations around the world focusing on antibiotic resistance and other healthcare threats. The agency also announced the establishment of two global networks that are focused on antibiotic resistant healthcare response.

The Global Action in Healthcare Network (GAIHN) and the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory and Response Network are a part of a CDC initiative, which will lead 50 countries around the world in an effort to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria. The new initiative was announced in a CDC press release on December 7.

The initiative will focus on infection control in healthcare settings and building laboratory capacity to detect antibiotic resistant bacteria in healthcare facilities, the community, and the environment. The CDC claims the program will also develop new and innovative ways to rapidly detect and respond to antibiotic resistant threats.

The overall goal is to create a global network of partners and institutions which will address antibiotic resistant infections in a variety of settings. GAIHN will focus on infection prevention and healthcare partners will focus on healthcare-associated infections and ensure countries and facilities are better prepared to respond to emerging threats, such as antibiotic resistant bacteria and other threatening infections.

The CDC has worked over the past five years focusing on the ability to detect and respond to antibiotic resistant bacteria, but the new network will expand the ability to a wide range of countries around the world. The initiative is an acknowledgement that combating antibiotic resistant superbugs will require a global response.

The program also invests in establishing laboratory expansions in other countries, including low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, where the capacity is currently lacking.

The long-term goal is to help establish better testing, early detection, early warning systems, and expand the technical support across the globe to help better prepare the United States and the world for the emergence and spread of resistant pathogens.

The program used a competitive selection process based on scientific needs and funds available to select the organizations that will participate in the network. The 28 organizations receiving funding include: American Society for Microbiology (ASM); American Type Culture Collection (ATCC); American University of Beirut; Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL); Columbia University; Duke University; Family Health International (FHI360); FIOTEC; Global Scientific Solutions for Health; Health Security Partners; Johns Hopkins University; Koperasi Jasa Institut Riset Eijkman; Northwestern University; Pakistan National Institute of Health; Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); The Ohio State University; US Civilian Research & Development Foundation (CRDF); Universidad de Desarrollo; University of Campinas; University of Cantabria; University of Nairobi; University of Oxford; University of Pennsylvania; Vanderbilt University; Washington State University; Washington University  in St. Louis; and World Health Organization (WHO).

“Antimicrobial resistance is not going away and new AR threats will continue to emerge,” said Denise Cardo, MD, Director of CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “We also know that evidence-based prevention in health care stops AR threats and other infectious diseases. These new programs will fill infection control gaps to keep patients safe and contain threats immediately when they do inevitably emerge.”