Global Summit on Combating "Superbugs”

Leading international microbiologists gathered recently in Hamburg, Germany, to discuss how to prevent "superbugs” from destroying half a century's progress in combating human infections. The summit, attended by delegates from 17 countries, was convened as part of the ongoing war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Delegates met to consider the latest results of an international surveillance program and to reach a consensus on how to improve the program's usefulness.

The surveillance program, called Mystic, collects data from hospitals around the world that use broad-spectrum antibiotics in order to compare the susceptibility of bacterial isolates in specialist and general hospital patients and correlate this information with resistance trends. After reviewing the latest Mystic data, the delegates reached a consensus on ways to improve the program design and distribution of data, and to expand its sampling so as to complement other surveillance programs. The delegates found that the study provided firm evidence that certain antibiotics, especially carbapenems, continue to be effective.

"In some participating hospitals, resistance to antibiotics such as the penicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones has increased dramatically,” said Dr. Ronald N. Jones, Mystic Summit Meeting chairman and team leader. "Mystic has a pivotal role to play in global surveillance, and we need to continually share information and be prepared to modify and improve the program to help hospitals change their prescribing practices to minimize resistance.”