Community-Acquired Pneumonia: When to Think Fungus
Released On
February 22, 2023
Expires On
February 21, 2024
Media Type
Internet
Completion Time
90 minutes
Specialty
Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease, Medical Microbiology, Urgent Care, Pharmacy, Primary Care, Pulmonology, Rheumatology
Topic(s)
Fungal Infections
This activity is jointly provided by Postgraduate Institute for Medicine; Terranova Medica, LLC; and the Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium.
This educational initiative was funded in part by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-RFA-CK20-2003) to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is collaborating with the Mycoses Study Group Education & Research Consortium and Terranova Medica, LLC, on this initiative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this resource center do not necessarily represent the policy of CDC or HHS and should not be considered an endorsement by the Federal Government.
Credit Available
- Physicians — maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- Nurses — 1.5 Contact Hours
- Pharmacists — 1.5 Contact Hours
All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.
Target Audience
This activity is designed to meet the educational needs of primary care providers, pulmonologists, urgent care providers, specialists who prescribe biologics, and emergency medicine clinicians who take care of patients with community-acquired pneumonia
Program Overview
This activity will explore community-acquired pneumonia cases, illustrating when to consider coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, and histoplasmosis endemic mycoses. The activity will feature use of MSGERC/CDC/CSG algorithms to recognize patients at risk for these infections as well as diagnostic strategies. This activity was developed for a target audience of primary care providers, specialists who prescribe biologics, pulmonologists, as well as urgent care and emergency medicine providers who see patients with community acquired pneumonia.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
- Identify patients with community-acquired pneumonia who should be screened for invasive mycoses
- Implement the CDC/MSGERC/CSG endemic diagnostic algorithms in appropriate cases of community-acquired pneumonia
- Interpret data from diagnostic testing for endemic mycoses
- Select an appropriate care plan or referral pathway for patients who screen positive for endemic mycoses
Faculty
Dallas Smith, PharmD (Chairperson)
Dallas Smith, PharmD, is an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Mycotic Diseases Branch at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Findlay in 2017. He then joined the United States Peace Corps, serving in Cambodia from 2017 – 2019 as a community health educator and Malawi from 2019 – 2020 as a clinical pharmacy and pharmacognosy lecturer. His main research interests are endemic mycoses and fungal neglected tropical diseases.
Neil M. Ampel, MD
Neil M. Ampel, MD, is Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a supplemental consultant at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His clinical interests include fungal infections, particularly coccidioidomycosis, as well as HIV care. His research focuses on the cellular immune response in human coccidioidomycosis. Dr. Ampel is a member of the NIH/CDC/IDSA Working Group for Therapy of Opportunistic Infections and the IDSA Guidelines Committee on coccidioidomycosis and the President of the Coccidioidomycosis Study Group.
Richard Rutherford, MD, FAAFP
Dr. Rutherford graduated with honors from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2001 and went to Ventura County Medical Center in California for his Family Practice internship and residency.
He served as faculty in the Stanislaus Family Practice Residency where he practiced and supervised residents in outpatient family medicine, obstetrical deliveries, and inpatient/intensive care. Dr. Rutherford returned to VCMC in 2006 to practice emergency and critical care medicine. He has 10 years of emergency room experience and currently works as an attending physician in the department of Emergency Medicine at Ventura County Medical Center. Dr. Rutherford is co-president of Hospital Procedures Consultants, a company that provides simulation-based training for physicians and midlevel providers interested in learning hospital-based procedures. He is also medical director of quality for Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital, and focuses on care improvements for sepsis, hospital acquired conditions, reducing patient safety events and improving patient experience.
His professional skills include a variety of emergency and intensive care procedures including fracture/dislocation reduction, airway management, chest thoracostomy and thoracentesis, vascular access, lumbar puncture, point of care ultrasound use and procedural sedation. His awards include the Theodore Phillips Award for Excellence in Family Medicine, the Resident Teaching Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Stanislaus Family Practice Residency Outstanding Faculty Award and the Ventura County Outstanding Resident Teacher Award.
Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI, FECMM, FIDSA
Dr. Spec’s research is in fungal infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients, including those with transplants. His research focuses on Cryptococcus, Histoplasma, Candida, Aspergillus spp. and other invasive molds. He studies the epidemiology and factors that affect outcomes in patients infected with fungus, both in the United States and globally in resource limited settings of Guatemala and Ethiopia. He serves as the Associate Director of our Infectious Disease Clinical Research Unit (ID-CRU) and is actively involved in the Mycoses Study Group (MSG), through which he participates and runs multicenter studies focused on new diagnostic tests and treatments for invasive fungal infections and is the creator and leader of the Washington University Mycoses Group (a consortium of researchers interested in fungal infections). Dr. Spec also runs the division’s clinic focusing on invasive fungal infections, where he takes care of both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients with fungal infections, which he considers the best and most rewarding part of his job.
George R. Thompson III, MD, FIDSA, FECMM
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 Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Departments of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases. He is Clinical Consultant for 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.
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.
Credit Designation
Physician Continuing Medical Education
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Continuing Nursing Education
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.5 contact hours. Designated for 1 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.
Continuing Pharmacy Education
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this continuing education activity for 1.5 contact hours (0.150 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
Universal Activity Number – JA4008162-9999-22-400-H01-P
Type of Activity: Knowledge
Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest
Neil M. Ampel, MD, has nothing to disclose.
Richard Rutherford, MD, has nothing to disclose.
- Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI, FECMM, FIDSA
- GRANT/RESEARCH SUPPORT: Astellas, Mayne Pharma
- CONSULTANT/ADVISORY BOARD: F2G, Scynexis [relationship ended]
- George R. Thompson III, MD, FIDSA, FECMM
- GRANT/RESEARCH SUPPORT: Astellas, Cidara, Scynexis, Mayne Pharma, F2G, Merck
- CONSULTANT/ADVISORY BOARD: Astellas, Cidara, Scynexis, Mayne Pharma, F2G
- OTHER FINANCIAL OR MATERIAL SUPPORT: Data Safety Monitoring Board: Pfizer
Managers and Planning Committee Disclosures
Lisa A. Tushla, PhD, H(ASCP) of Terranova Medica, LLC discloses research support from Bristol Myers Squibb and Novartis. The MSGERC, PIM, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) planners and others have nothing to disclose.
Instructions for Participation and Credit
There are no fees for participating and receiving CME credit for this enduring activity. To receive CME credit participants must:
- Read the CME/CE information and faculty disclosures.
- Participate in the online activity.
- Submit the evaluation form.
Certificates will be emailed to the participant.
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
If you have any questions regarding the CME/CE certification for this activity, please contact Postgraduate Institute for Medicine at: [email protected] or (303) 799-1930.