
Challenging Invasive Fungal Infections: Current and Emerging Pharmacologic Strategies
Released On
November 15, 2022
Expires On
January 14, 2024
Media Type
Internet
Completion Time
75 minutes
Specialty
Critical Care, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Hematology-Oncology, Hospitalist, Infectious Disease, Medical Microbiology, Neonatology, Nephrology, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Pharmacy, Primary Care, Pulmonology, Rheumatology, Surgery, Urology
Topic(s)
Fungal Infections
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This activity is jointly provided by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine; Terranova Medica, LLC; and the Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium.



This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from F2G.
Credit Available
- Physicians — maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- Pharmacists — 1.25 contact hours (0.125 CEUs)
All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.
Target Audience
Primary audience: This activity is directed to infectious disease physicians, critical care physicians, hospitalists, surgeons, pathologists/clinical microbiologists, hematologists/oncologists, pharmacists, pediatric infectious disease specialists, transplant specialists, and other healthcare providers responsible for the management of invasive fungal infections.
Secondary audience: Primary care providers, GI, dermatology, and rheumatology specialists who work in the endemic areas or who see patients receiving biologics who are at risk for endemic mycoses.
Program Overview
This is the second enduring activity derived from the live virtual event, MSGERC Town Hall: Challenging Infective Fungal Infections held on August 19, 2022. This activity, part of the Medical Mycology: Closing Gaps in Care initiative, has an expanded focus on therapeutic options, pharmacologic optimization, limitations of existing regimens, and emerging pharmacologic approaches. We will address these topics through 3 challenging clinical scenarios: a pulmonary infection in a post-lung-transplant patient; an acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patient post chemotherapy with skin lesions, and a 51-year-old woman presenting with headaches and mental status changes. We hope that you find these cases helpful in your efforts to improve outcomes for patients with challenging invasive fungal infections.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
- Identify unmet needs in the treatment of challenging invasive fungal infections
- Optimize the pharmacologic aspects of antifungal therapy for challenging invasive fungal infections
- Discuss the profile of emerging antifungal agents and where they may fit into the treatment schema for invasive fungal infections
Faculty
Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, FECMM, CMQ
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Memorial Hermann Endowed Chair
Vice-Chair of Medicine for Healthcare Quality
Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases
McGovern Medical School
Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner is a professor of medicine and epidemiology, the Vice-Chair of Medicine for Healthcare Quality, the director of the Laboratory of Mycology Research, and the Division Chief at the Division of Infectious Diseases of the McGovern Medical School (a part of UTHealth). He also serves as medical director for epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship for Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center and UT Physicians. He is also currently coordinating the CoVID-19 response for UTHealth and its affiliated hospitals and clinics.
Dr Ostrosky-Zeichner obtained his medical degree from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He completed his internal medicine residency at Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran, and his infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center combined fellowship program.
Dr Ostrosky-Zeichner is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the Academy of the European Confederation of Medical Mycology. He is a Senior Editor for Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, as well as an editorial board member of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and Clinical Infectious Diseases. He is Vice President of the Mycoses Study Group and Educational Consortium and a Vice-President of the International Immunocompromised Host Society. He is also a past chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Standards and Practice Guidelines Committee and has been a consultant to the US FDA and CDC. He has advanced training and experience in medical mycology, healthcare epidemiology, emerging infections, antimicrobial stewardship, general and transplant infectious diseases, and healthcare quality and has published over 175 peer-reviewed articles on those topics.
George R. Thompson III, MD
Professor of Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Clinical Consultant UC-Davis Center for Coccidioidomycosis
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology University of California – Davis
Sacramento, California
Dr George R. Thompson completed his medical degree at the University of Missouri and his internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology and Immunology and co-director of the UC-Davis Center for Coccidioidomycosis.
Dr Thompson specializes in the care of patients with invasive fungal infections and has research interest in fungal diagnostics and host immunogenetics. His current research focuses on the host-pathogen interaction of humans and both Coccidioides spp. (the agent of “Valley Fever”), and Cryptococcus spp. Dr Thompson has substantial expertise in the care of patients with fungal diseases and co-chairs the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium Education Committee, which is responsible for the dissemination of materials and knowledge to clinicians across the country to improve the care of patients with fungal infections. He has also been appointed to the Coccidioidomycosis Study Group and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Journal Club, providing editorials in its monthly internationally disseminated IDSA Newsletter.
James S. Lewis, II, PharmD, FIDSA
Adjunct Associate Professor
Departments of Pharmacy & Infectious Disease
Oregon Health & Sciences University
Portland, Oregon
James Lewis is the Clinical Supervisor for Infectious Disease. His responsibilities include co-directing the OHSU antibiotic stewardship program and serving as the infectious diseases clinical pharmacist for OHSU. He is the co-chair of the antibiotic subcommittee of the Clinical Knowledge and Therapeutics Executive Committee (formerly Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee) and also serves as the PGY-1 &2 ID rotation preceptor. James’ professional interests are antibiotic susceptibility testing, antibiotic/antifungal utilization, and the optimal integration of rapid microbiology diagnostics in antibiotic stewardship. Dr. Lewis also currently serves as the co-chair of the breakpoint working group of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and is a member of the editorial board for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM); Terranova Medica, LLC; and the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (MSGERC). Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credit Designation
Physician Continuing Medical Education
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Continuing Pharmacy Education
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this continuing education activity for 1.25 contact hours (0.125 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
Universal Activity Number –JA4008162-9999-22-402-H01-P
Type of Activity: Knowledge
Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest
- Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, FECMM, CMQ
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- Research Support: Astellas, Gilead, Pfizer, Pulmocide, Scynexis
- Consultant: Cidara, F2G, Appili Therapeutics, Merck & Co, Inc
- Speaker: Pfizer, Gilead, F2G
- George R. Thompson III, MD
-
- Research Support: Cidara, Amplyx, Pfizer, F2G, Mayne Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co, Inc
- Consultant: Cidara, Amplyx, Pfizer, F2G, Mayne Pharmaceuticals
- James S. Lewis, II, PharmD, FIDSA
-
- Consultant: Merck & Co., Inc; Cidara Therapeutics; SeLux Diagnostics
Instructions for Participation and Credit
There are no fees for participating and receiving CME/CE credit for this activity. During the accreditation period, participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures and study the educational activity.
If you wish to receive acknowledgment for completing this activity, please follow the steps below:
- Register and complete all the sections
- Complete all the online Posttest sections with a score of 75% or better
- Once you complete the Posttest, a link to the evaluation on CME University will be unlocked
- Upon completion of the evaluation, you will receive an immediate CME/CE Certificate to download and/or print for your files
For Pharmacists: Upon completion of the online evaluation, your credit will be submitted to CPE Monitor. Pharmacists have up to thirty (30) days to complete the evaluation and claim credit. Please check your NABP account within thirty (30) days to make sure the credit has posted.
Course Viewing Requirements
Supported Browsers:
Internet Explorer 8.0+ for Windows 2003, Vista, XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and above
Google Chrome 28.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Mozilla Firefox 23.0+ for Windows, Mac OS, or Linux
Safari 6.0+ for Mac OSX 10.7 and above
Supported Phones & Tablets:
Android 4.0.3 and above
iPhone/iPad with iOS 6.1 or above
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine requires that faculty participating in any CME activity disclose to the audience when discussing any unlabeled or investigational use of any commercial product or device not yet approved for use in the United States.
Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
This activity is designed for educational purposes. Participants have a responsibility to utilize this information to enhance their professional development to improve patient outcomes. Conclusions drawn by the participants should be derived from careful consideration of all available scientific information. The participant should use his/her clinical judgment, knowledge, experience, and diagnostic decision-making before applying any information, whether provided here or by others, for any professional use.
Contact Information
For further information, contact Tom Davis by telephone (877-276-4523), or by email tdavis@terranovamedica.com.
If you have any questions regarding the CME/CE certification for this activity, please contact Postgraduate Institute for Medicine at: inquiries@pimed.com or (303) 799-1930.