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ICTalk: Infection Control Today Podcast

ICTalk: Infection Control Today Podcast

By: ICTalk: Infection Control Today Podcast
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 ICTalk: Infection Control Today Podcast is a podcast that dives into the latest trends, challenges, and solutions in infection prevention and control. This podcast delivers expert insights, real-world strategies, and actionable advice, covering topics relevant to health care professionals at every level—from C-suite executives to infection preventionists, sterile processing, environmental hygiene staff, and more. Join us for conversations with leading infection preventionists, industry experts, and thought leaders as we explore how to create safer environments, improve outcomes, and navigate the evolving landscape of infection control. Science
Episodes
  • 6: Clean Bite: Think Twice Before Closing Your Lips Around That Little Suction Thing

    6: Clean Bite: Think Twice Before Closing Your Lips Around That Little Suction Thing
    May 18 2025
    Do you know not to wrap your lips around the suction tube the dentist puts in your mouth? You will when you finish this podcast.
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    4 mins
  • 5: The Rising Threat of Fungal Infections and the Urgent Need for New Treatments

    5: The Rising Threat of Fungal Infections and the Urgent Need for New Treatments
    Mar 11 2025
    Infectious diseases have long been a major concern for global health. While much attention is given to bacterial and viral infections, fungal diseases remain an underappreciated and growing threat. With limited treatment options and rising resistance to existing antifungal drugs, the world is facing a silent crisis that could have devastating consequences. David Angulo, MD, an infectious disease specialist and the president and CEO of SCYNEXIS, sheds light on the urgent need for new antifungal treatments and the challenges in combating fungal resistance in this interview with Infection Control Today® (ICT®).

    Understanding the Scope of Fungal Infections

    In this interview, Angulo explains that when most people think of fungal infections, they often imagine superficial conditions like toenail or yeast infections. While these are common and generally treatable, a far more dangerous category of fungal diseases exists—one that attacks the lungs, bloodstream, brain, and other vital organs. These invasive fungal infections are often life-threatening, with mortality rates ranging from 20% to 80%, particularly among immunocompromised individuals.

    Angulo explains that patients undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, and those in intensive care units are at the highest risk. In these situations, “You have multiple catheters placed in your body because of that reason, and then the fungi had the opportunity to get into your body and to cause these very severe infections,” Angulo said.

    Angulo discusses the most common invasive fungal infections, which include:

    • Invasive Candidiasis: A bloodstream infection caused by Candida species, which can spread to organs and cause severe complications.
    • Aspergillosis: An infection caused by Aspergillus, a mold commonly found in the environment. It can destroy lung tissue and lead to fatal respiratory failure.
    • Mucormycosis: A rare but aggressive fungal infection with a mortality rate as high as 80%, affecting the sinuses, lungs, and brain.
    • Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever): A fungal pneumonia endemic to certain regions, such as the southwestern United States, that is expanding due to climate change.
    Why Antifungal Resistance is a Growing Concern

    1. The fight against fungal infections is growing more challenging because of rising antifungal resistance. In contrast to bacterial infections, which benefit from numerous groups of antibiotics, antifungal therapies consist of only three primary drug classes, as Angulo clarifies in the interview:
    2. Polyenes (eg, Amphotericin B) – One of the first antifungal treatments, effective but highly toxic and limited to intravenous use.
    3. Azoles (eg, Fluconazole, Voriconazole, Posaconazole) – The most commonly used antifungals, but resistance to azoles is growing at an alarming rate.
    4. Echinocandins (eg, Caspofungin, Micafungin, Anidulafungin) – Newer antifungals with a better safety profile but limited to intravenous administration.
    Angulo emphasizes the critical need for innovation: “Over the years, fungi have developed resistance against many of them, and at this point, that's really the biggest concern,” he said

    His company, SCYNEXIS, is at the forefront of this fight, developing a new class of antifungal drugs called triterpenoids. "Our focus has been in trying to address the problem of antimicrobial resistance in the antifungal space, and really how to tackle those very difficult to treat diseases. That has been really the focus and the passion of this organization for the past 10 years," he explains.
    As Angulo told ICT, "The antibacterial space was developed much earlier and faster, but right now, with a better understanding of the impact of fungal diseases and the development of resistance of fungal pathogens that has been evolving in the US, the CDC runs the primary surveillance program regarding the development of antimicrobial and antifungal resistance.”

    By raising awareness and pushing for policy changes, the fight against deadly fungal infections remains a global priority.

    Listen to ICT’s interview with Angulo to learn more about the history and treatment of fungal diseases.

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    47 mins
  • 4: From Shortages to Security: How Reusable Health Care Textiles Can Transform Infection Prevention

    4: From Shortages to Security: How Reusable Health Care Textiles Can Transform Infection Prevention
    Mar 7 2025
    The Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) plays a vital role in supporting the health care industry and critical infrastructure by providing hygienically clean health care contact textiles (HCTs) and personal protective equipment (PPE). Representing a $50 billion industry with over 200,000 employees across 2,500 facilities, TRSA ensures that essential supplies, including isolation gowns, scrubs, bed linens, flame-resistant clothing, and safety items, are available to hospitals, first responders, laboratories, and food processing facilities. However, the US health care system relies heavily on disposable HCTs, leading to dangerous supply shortages during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Currently, over 90% of HCTs used in US health care settings are disposable, although reusable HCTs provide equivalent or even superior protection. The excessive use of disposable textiles threatens supply chain stability, making hospitals susceptible to disruptions due to global supply shortages, shipping delays, and manufacturing constraints. During the pandemic, the supply of disposable PPE, including isolation gowns, was significantly compromised, forcing hospitals to search for alternatives. TRSA members stepped in to fill the gap by supplying reusable, hygienically clean HCTs, ensuring that health care facilities could continue to operate safely.

    “TRSA members process 90% of the HCTs (ie, isolation and barrier gowns, bed linens, scrubs, etc) used by health care facilities across the US,” TRSA’s press release read, “As evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, laundry processing interruptions threaten the safe operation of health care facilities as well as other critical infrastructure businesses.”

    Reusable HCTs processed by TRSA’s Hygienically Clean-certified laundries offer multiple benefits, including:

    • Enhanced Safety: Reusable textiles meet rigorous cleanliness and sterility standards, ensuring they are contaminant-free after each use.
    • Supply Chain Security: Unlike disposables, which are often imported and subject to international supply chain disruptions, reusable HCTs are processed domestically, providing a more reliable solution.
    • Cost Savings: Long-term cost analyses show that reusables reduce overall expenses compared to continuously purchasing disposables.
    • Environmental Sustainability: Disposable PPE generates massive amounts of medical waste. Reusable alternatives significantly reduce waste and carbon emissions, aligning with green initiatives in health care.
    Recognizing the need for supply chain resilience, a bipartisan congressional letter was sent in 2023 to then-Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, urging an investigation into the benefits of reusable HCTs. This led the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to study the potential benefits of increasing reusable PPE adoption in health care.

    In a 2-day NASEM workshop, technical experts, policymakers, health care providers, and industrial laundry operators evaluated reusable textiles’ safety, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. The conclusion was clear: increasing reusable PPE use would significantly improve supply chain security, reduce waste, and lower costs. However, legislative action is required to drive widespread adoption.

    TRSA’s Call to Action

    Maryann D’Alessandro, director of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL), acknowledged the importance of reusable PPE but emphasized that the transition "is unlikely without legislation." She called for strategic partnerships to push for regulatory and legislative changes that support the increased use of reusable HCTs.

    While long-term policy shifts take time, TRSA urges NIOSH to issue a “Workplace Solutions” document, which would serve as an interim step to promote reusable HCT adoption. Although it would not mandate enforcement, the document would raise awareness among health care facilities and provide guidance on integrating reusable PPE into daily operations.

    The health care industry cannot afford another PPE crisis like the one experienced during COVID-19. Increasing the use of reusable HCTs is a proven solution for ensuring supply chain stability, cost savings, and environmental sustainability. TRSA remains committed to advocating for policies prioritizing reusable health care textiles, protecting frontline workers, and patient safety.
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    6 mins
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