Containing Unusual Resistance | VitalSigns | CDC

Containing Unusual Resistance | VitalSigns | CDC

Lab Experts Sound the Alarm to Protect Us
from Antibiotic Resistance

It’s Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, April 22-28.

Working behind the scenes, lab professionals provide the testing to help figure out what is making people sick and determine what treatment will help them get better. Laboratorians also play a key role in finding “unusual” antibiotic resistance (AR) early, before it becomes common, so that response teams can quickly investigate to stop spread and protect people from difficult-to-treat infections.

The most recent CDC Vital Signs report highlights the importance of rapid detection by laboratorians, the critical first step in the Containment Strategy. The report also includes data fromCDC’s AR Lab Network, a new resource that can help identify and characterize resistance in threats like “nightmare bacteria” carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), emerging fungal threats like Candida auris, and even food and community pathogens. Using the AR Lab Network, nationwide testing uncovered unusual resistance genes in “nightmare bacteria” more than 220 times in 2017.

• Learn what local health departments and labs can do to help prevent spread of unusual AR.
• Read CDC’s latest feature on stopping spread of unusual AR.
• Find more about AR laboratory testing and resources.

Thank you to the many laboratory professionals who serve the public every day. Your work on the frontlines is critical in the fight against antibiotic resistance!