TNT: Continuing Education
Contemporary Topics on INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Third Tuesday of Each Month
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Central Standard Time
March 17, 2009 - February 16, 2010
A Live, Interactive Continuing Education Audioconference Series Designed for Physicians, Nurses, Infection Control Practitioners, Epidemiologists, and Microbiologists
"Co-provided by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Nursing"
This educational activity provides up to 12 nursing contact hours
12 contact hours approved for P.A.C.E. credit through ASCLS
Link to program brochure (PDF format)
Link to Registration form (PDF format)
Contact Person: Beverly J. Brown
PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
March 17, 2009 – “The New an Old of Clostridium Difficile”
Margie Morgan, PhD, Technical Director, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California
The presentation will be an overview of clostridium difficile. It will include the history of Clostridium difficule, clinical characteristics, changing epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment and infection control problems. The old and new approaches to laboratory testing will also be presented. The participant will be able to integrate changes in infection control practices in the workplace.
April 21, 2009 – “Changing Strategies in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tuberculosis Infection and Disease”
Neil Schluger, MD, Chief of Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
This teleconference will review new developments in the diagnosis and treatment of latent and active tuberculosis. We will discuss the epidemiology of latent and active tuberculosis in the United States. The discussion will look at the new tests we can use in latent tuberculosis. We will conclude by looking at new diagnostics strategies for active tuberculosis. The participant will be able to integrate new strategies of tuberculosis in the workplace.
May 27, 2009 – “Pertussis Disease and Prevention Strategies”
Flor Munoz, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Section Infectious Disease, and Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
This teleconference will focus on a review of pertussis, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies, with emphasis on immunization and review of updated ACIP recommendations. The participant will integrate safety techniques in the workplace.
June 16, 2009 – “Emerging Challenges for Food Borne Diseases”
Stanley Maloy, PhD, Dean, College of Sciences and Professor of Microbiology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California
The recent outbreaks of Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli 0157:H7, rotovirus, and other intestinal pathogens have raised awareness of the vulnerability of our food and water supplies. This teleconference will allow participants to focus on why these outbreaks seem to have become more common. We will further look at how the pathogens are identified, how the source of outbreaks are detected, and what can be done to limit future outbreaks. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about food borne disease and characteristics of infections.
July 21, 2009 – “New and Emerging Options for the Therapy of MRSA Infections”
James Lewis, PharmD, ID Pharmacy Programs Manager, University Health Systems; Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
This program will review agents active against MRSA that have recently been marketed for MRSA. We will discuss agents that are in late phase clinical development. We will look at recent trends in MRSA epidemiology and clinical as well as the financial impact. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about MRSA infections.
August 18, 2009 - “Update of Collection, Transport, Screening and Culture for Urine Specimens in the Microbiology Laboratory in 2009”
Gerri Hall, PhD, D(ABMM), Staff Microbiologist, Cleveland Clinic Section of Clinical Microbiology, Cleveland, Ohio.
The urine culture is the single most common specimen that arrives in the clinical microbiology laboratory every day. In many of the laboratories urine may be processed daily. The methods of collection, transport and processing vary from one laboratory to another, but the basic principles remain the same. The collection of sterile containers will be discussed as well screening methods. The speaker will discuss some of the more unusually UTI pathogens. When to do a “low colony count” urine culture will be described as well as when to sign out a culture as “mixed flora, no further work-up done.” Finally, when to perform a susceptibility test will be discussed. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about the collections of laboratory specimens.
September 15, 2009 – “The Changing Face of Respiratory Tract Virology”
Joseph Campo, PhD, DABMM, FAAM, Director, Microbiology Laboratory, Molecular Diagnostics, Laboratory, and Laboratory Informatics, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia
The list of clinically important respiratory tract viruses seems to increase in length with each passing year. A primary reason for this has been the use of molecular tools to detect the presence of viral genomic sequences in specimens even before viruses have been grown in culture. This teleconference will focus on the new agents such as human metapneumovirus, human bocavirus, human coronavirus HL63 and HKU1, and influenza virus A, subtype H5N1 (avian influenza). This clinical aspect, epidemiology and the laboratory diagnosis of infections will be discussed. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about viruses in clinical specimens.
October 20, 2009 – “Emerging Infectious Diseases 2009 Update”
Michael Loeffelholz, PhD, ABMM, Associate Professor, Pathology, Director Clinical Microbiology, University of Texas Medical Brance, Galveston, Texas
The list of emerging infectious diseases continues to grow due to a number of factors including movement of humans and exotic animals, climate change, evolution of infectious agents, and better tools for recognition and identification of pathogens. This teleconference will focus on several recent emerging infectious agents, including Enterobacter sakazakii, Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (non-O157), Chikungunya virus, Dengue virus, Leishmania, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Cryptococcus gattii. The epidemiology, clinical significance, treatment and prevention, and laboratory diagnosis of infections will be discussed. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about recent emerging infectious agents and laboratory test.
November 17, 2009 – “Not the Usual Suspects: Atypical Yeasts and Yeast-Like Organisms”
Jane Hata, PhD, D(ABMM), Director of Microbiology & Serology Laboratories, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
Given the plethora of immunocompromised hosts in today’s healthcare environment, clinical laboratories are often tasked with the identification and characterization of unusual yeasts, or other organisms resembling yeasts. This presentation will discuss clinical presentations of atypical and emerging species, with discussion of epidemiology, pathogenesis, and therapy. An emphasis will be placed on the practical use of laboratory methods including culture, application of surrogate markers and molecular methods which can aid in timely and accurate diagnosis. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about atypical yeast and yeast like organisms.
December 15, 2009 – “Bacterial Toxin-Mediated Diseases: Where are the Post-Exposure Therapeutics?”
Brenda Anne Wilson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
The presentation will provide a general overview of toxin-mediated diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, explaining how protein toxins interact with host cells and some of the mechanisms by which they cause these toxic effects. We will then outline the current measures and therapies available for combating toxin-mediated diseases. Limitations and problems with the current strategies will be discussed, particularly with regard to post-exposure therapeutics. This presentation will also provide an overview of some of the new directions that are being pursued to address the continuing and urgent need for post-exposure anti-toxin therapeutics. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about therapies of toxin-mediated diseases.
January 19, 2010 – “Cases in Clinical Microbiology”
Carol Spiegel PhD, D(ABMM), F(AAM), Director, Clinical Microbiology, University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, Madison, Wisconsin
Results generated by our Clinical Microbiology Laboratories frequently provide the definitive diagnosis to clinicians. Preliminary information given before there is a final identification can also be very useful in patient care. The speaker will present and discuss some of the recent clinical cases that illustrate these points. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about different clinical cases and their effects on the clinicians.
February 16, 2010 “Infectious Vaginitis: Update on Laboratory Methods for Diagnosis in 2010”
Gerri Hall, PhD, D(ABMM), Staff Microbiologist, Cleveland Clinic Section of Clinical Microbiology, Cleveland, Ohio
Infecitious Vaginitis is caused primarily by Candida sp (usually C.ablicans), Trichomonas viginalis or agents responsible for the syndrome e of bacterial vaginosis (BV). Laboratory diagnosis of these used to involve the microscopic observation of budding yeast, motile flagellated protozoan parasites, and/or “clue cells” respectively. A description of the epidemiology and clinical presentation of viginitis and an overview of what is available for laboratory diagnosis will be presented in this teleconference. This will include EIA methods, probes, and amplification. The speaker will also discuss methods for the detection of group B Streptococcus in the pregnant female. The participant will be able to help influence the workplace with the knowledge learned about laboratory methods related to infectious vaginitis.