WRAIR Celebrates 10 Years of Tracking Superbugs in MTFs

Photo By Samir Deshpande | A WRAIR scientist introduces the MRSN's capabilities.  

MARYLAND, UNITED STATES

12.16.2019

Courtesy Story

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

On December 13th, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research hosted an event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Multidrug-Resistant Organism Repository and Surveillance Network, an infection control resource to military treatment facilities across the entire Military Health System. A global threat, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Military Infectious Diseases Threat Prioritization Panel have named MDR bacteria one of the most consequential infectious disease threats.

Collecting samples from around the world, MRSN researchers have amassed a repository of over 60,000 bacterial samples from patients across the MHS, allowing for near real-time analysis for the geographic combatant commands of the prevalence and mobility of “superbugs” within their area of operation to better prepare medical personnel to treat war wound infections, analyses of antibiotic resistance trends and bacterial epidemiology to improve infection control and guidance to inform clinical providers which antibiotics will not be effective. Receiving 4-6 requests for outbreak assistance every month, the MRSN is recognized by the White House’s National Action Plan for Combatting Antibiotic Resistance as the DOD’s sole reference laboratory for antibiotic resistance.

The symposium opened with remarks from Col. Deydre Teyhen, WRAIR Commander, who introduced the MRSN as one part of WRAIR’s efforts to defeat military-relevant infections and maximize Soldier readiness and lethality followed comments from Lt. Col. Jason Bennett, MRSN director, who further introduced the MRSN and the event as a whole.
Remarks were followed by three speakers:

• Retired Col. Emil Lesho, Rochester Regional Medical Center, who highlighted the MRSN’s history and development as co-founder of the laboratory
• Lt. Col. Robert Cybulski, Brooke Army Medical Center, who discussed the impact of the MRSN on military treatment facilities
• Dr. Greg Priebe, Boston Children’s Hospital, who discussed the impact of the MRSN on civilian medicine and research

In addition to its clinical impact, the MRSN supports research by identifying the most consequential MDR bacteria in the MHS as targets for product development and using its repository to create diversity panels, collections of 100 bacterial strains that represent the breadth of genetic diversity for a particular species, to advance the development and testing of novel countermeasures.

• Date Taken: 12.16.2019
• Date Posted: 12.17.2019 09:21
• Story ID: 355895
• Location: MARYLAND, US