2^nd International congress on Nosocomial and Healthcare Associated Infections October 15-16, 2018 Las Vegas, USA

Track 1: Nosocomial Infections
A nosocomial infection is contracted because of an infection or toxin that exists in a certain location, such as a hospital. Nosocomial Infections are one of the major complications for health care professionals to tackle. Every day they results in prolonged hospital stays, long-term disability, and increased resistance of microbes to antimicrobials, additional costs for healthcare systems, high costs for patients and their family, and unnecessary deaths

• Infections in dialysis patients
• Infections in obstetrics and gynaecology patients
• Infections in oncology patients
• Infections in immunocompromised hosts
• Infections in patients with renal, liver, CNS diseases
• Infections in transplant patients
• Infections in intensive care units
• Factors leading to emergence of nosocomial Infection
• Infections in tracheostomy patients

Track 2: Healthcare-associated Infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) refer to infections associated with the delivery of healthcare in hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory settings, home care and other settings.  These unanticipated infections that develop during the course of medical or surgical treatment may result in significant patient illnesses and deaths (morbidity and mortality); prolong the duration of hospital stays; and necessitate additional diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, which generate added costs.

• Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI)
• Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)
• Ventilator-associated events
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Track 3: Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

A surgical site infection is an infection that occurs after surgery in the part of the body where the surgery took place. Surgical site infections can sometimes be superficial infections involving the skin only. Other surgical site infections are more serious and can involve tissues under the skin, organs, or implanted material. The causative pathogens depend on the type of surgery; the most commonly isolated organisms are Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Enterococcus spp. and Escherichia coli.

• surgical wound infections
• Wound dressings
• Clinical care standards in surgery
• Advances in invasive surgery to prevent infections

Track 4: Urinary Tract Infections

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection involving any part of the urinary system, including urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidney. UTIs are the most common type of healthcare-associated infection. Among UTIs acquired in the hospital, approximately 75% are associated with a urinary catheter, which is a tube inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain urine.

• Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
• Health Care–Acquired Urinary Tract Infection
• Nosocomial urinary tract infection
• Infection rate of Indwelling urethral catheter

Track 5: Ventilator-associated pneumonia

Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are important causes of morbidity and mortality, with mortality rates approaching 62%. HAP and VAP are the second most common cause of nosocomial infection overall, but are the most common cause documented in the intensive care unit setting. In addition, HAP and VAP produce the highest mortality associated with nosocomial infection.

• Mycoplasma Pneumonia
• Bacterial Pneumonia
• Viral Pneumonia
• Community-acquired pneumonia
• Respiratory disorders and Infections

Track 6: Blood Stream Infections/Bacteraemia

Blood Infections or Bacteraemia or Sepsis occurs when a bacterial infection occur somewhere else in the body such as in the lungs or skin which enters the blood stream. This is dangerous because bacteria and their toxins can be transported through the bloodstream to the entire body.

• Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection
• Hospital-Acquired Bloodstream Infections
• Nosocomial bloodstream infections
• Prevention of  Blood Stream Infections
• Diabetic foot ulcer

        Track 7: Infection Prevention and Control

Effective infection prevention and control is central of providing high quality health care for patients and a safe working environment for those that work in healthcare settings. It is important to minimize the risk of spread of infection to patients and staff in hospital by implementing good infection control program.

• Decontamination and sterilization
• Cleaning of the hospital environment
• Disinfection of patient equipment
• Operating room environment and Operating room staff

Track 8: Device-Associated Infections and Microbial Biofilms

Medical devices are responsible for a large portion of nosocomial infections, particularly in critically ill patients. Device associated infections can cause major medical and economic sequelae. Bacterial colonization and biofilm formation around the indwelling device can be a prelude to both infection and malfunction of the device.

• Resistance and Tolerance of Biofilms to Antibiotics
• Biofilm-Based Infections
• Biofilm-Specific Antibiotic Resistance
• Catheter related blood stream infection
• Foreign-body and implant infections
• Catheter related urinary tract infection
• Innovative approaches for the prevention of device-related infections
• Antiseptic-Coated Catheters

 Track 9: Emerging infectious diseases

An emerging infectious disease (EID) is an infectious disease whose incidence has increased in the past 20 years and could increase in the near future. some of the infectious diseases which can be commonly seen in the hospitals are Norovirus, Mycobacterium abscessus, Klebsiella, Influenza , Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, Tuberculosis, Vancomycin-intermediate or Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus.

• Bacterial infections: Gram-negative
• Bacterial infections: Gram-positive
• Viral infections
• Fungal infections
• Zoonotic infections
• Malarial drug resistance
• Influenza A (H1N1) virus
• Multidrug resistant tuberculosis

Track 10: Vaccines and Immunization

Immunization is a highly effective public health measure that reduces the incidence of infectious diseases, yet there has been relatively little effort toward the development of vaccines for nosocomial infections. Many nosocomial infections originate on mucosal surfaces (e.g., respiratory or gastrointestinal mucosa). As patients who are hospitalized once are more likely to be hospitalized again, a prime-boost immunization strategy, whereby a priming dose of vaccine for a nosocomial infection is administered mucosally.

• Innovations in development of vaccines
• Current clinical practices on vaccination
• Immunization of health-care workers
• Role of vaccination in healthcare systems
• Immune enhancement and genetic studies
• Criteria for vaccination and immunization schedule
• Recommendations of vaccines in immunocompromised patients
• Current clinical practices on vaccination

Track 11: Antimicrobial/ Antibiotic/ Antibacterial Resistance

Antimicrobial/ Antibiotic/ Antibiotic resistance is rising to dangerously high levels in all parts of the world. New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases. Antibiotic resistance occurs when an antibiotic has lost its ability to effectively control or kill bacterial growth; in other words, the bacteria are "resistant" and continue to multiply in the presence of therapeutic levels of an antibiotic.

•  Infections and resistance mechanisms of pathogens
•  Surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance
•  Emerging issues in antibiotic resistance
•  Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms
•  Genetic and physiological adaptation to the host
•  Evolving microbes and resistant infections
•  Immunology of Infectious Diseases
•  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Track 12: Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Use:

Antibiotics are used to treat or prevent some types of bacterial infection. They work by killing bacteria or preventing them from reproducing and spreading. They are often unnecessarily prescribed for viral infections, against which they have no effect. Not only antibiotics, other antivirals and antimicrobials are losing their effectiveness due to their irrational use and causing antimicrobial resistance.

• Novel antibiotics, spectrum of activity and their applications
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Antibiotic use and its relation to the emergence of resistant bacteria
• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
• Antibiotic Heterogeneity and Antibiotic Cycling
• Monoclonal antibody as an anti-infective
• Antibiotic susceptibility testing
• Optimizing antibiotic usage in hospitals

Track 13: Occupational Health hazards and safety

Biological agents, including microorganisms and toxins produced by living organisms, can cause health problems in workers. Influenza is an example of a biohazard which affects a broad population of workers. Occupational illness results from exposure in a workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent to the extent that the normal physiological mechanisms are affected and the health of the worker is impaired.

• Identifying and handling biological agent threats
• Occupational health hazards and illnesses
• Microbiology of the built environment
• Domestic and Indoor Microbiology
• Contamination and cross contamination on hospital surfaces and medical equipment

Track 14: Pharmaceutical Microbiology

Pharmaceutical Microbiology is an applied branch of Microbiology. It involves the study of microorganisms associated with the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. pharmaceutical microbiology include the research and development of anti-infective agents, the use of microorganisms to detect mutagenic and carcinogenic activity in prospective drugs, and the use of microorganisms in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products.

• Microbial and Biochemical Technology
• Antimicrobial Effectiveness Testing
• Bacterial Endotoxin Testing
• Microbial Examination of Non-Sterile Products
• Microbes and Environmental Management
• Strategies to prevent microbial contamination
• Sterile Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
• Wastewater treatment and bio solids reuse

Track 15: Therapeutic Approaches

Nosocomial infections are a major challenge for patient safety. Empirical antibiotic therapy should be based on thorough clinical evaluation and local epidemiological data on potential pathogens and susceptibility to antibiotics. The chosen therapy must be effective, limit the toxicity and be the narrowest spectrum possible. The choice of parenteral, oral or topical antibiotic formulations is made on the basis of clinical presentation (site and severity of infection).

• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Advances in treatment of persistent nosocomial infections
• Current and Future Treatment of Nosocomial Infections
• Critical Care
• Medical Care
• Surgical Care
• Wound Care
• Monoclonal Antibody as an Anti-Infective
• Research on antibiotic treatment and antibiotic de-escalation
• Modification of Empiric Antibiotic Regimens
• Appropriate Antibiotic Selection and Adequate Dosing
• Novel Therapeutic Strategies

Track 16: Pulmonary infection

Pulmonary infections are common and are caused by a wide range of organisms. Micro-organisms responsible may enter the lung by three potential routes:
 via the tracheobronchial tree : most commonly due to inhalation of droplets of secretions from another infected human
environmental exposure e.g. fungal spores
via the pulmonary vasculature
direct injection e.g. intravenous drug use
secondary seeding from distant infection e.g. infective bacterial endocarditis
via direct spread from infection in the mediastinum, chest wall, or upper abdomen

• consolidation
• lobar pneumonia
• lobular pneumonia (or bronchopneumonia)
• pulmonary abscess
• interstitial pneumonia

Track 17: Pulmonary infection

Pediatric infections recurring or persistent disease caused by an infectious agent such as bacteria, a fungus, a parasite, or other rare infection, a pediatric infectious diseases

•     Hospital infection control and epidemiology (identifying risk factors for disease and                     targets for  preventive  medicine and public policies
•      Antibiotic resistance and how the body affects the drugs

Track 18 : Role of Nursing in Healthcare

The role of nurses has always been crucial in healthcare. Nurses are on the front line every day, tending to the sick, counseling patients on their health, and improving processes throughout the healthcare system. Now, nursing is expanding into healthcare redesign and management.

•           Pediatric Nursing
•           Surgical Nursing
•           Cardiovascular Nursing