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Naomi E Aronson, MD
Director, Infectious Diseases
COL
|
MC
|
USA
|
Ret
USU
Timothy J Whitman, DO
Chief, Infectious Diseases
CAPT
|
MC
|
USN
WRB
The Infectious Diseases (ID) Service evaluates
and treats patients with a wide variety of
infections, provides consultative care, and is
responsible for infection prevention and
antibiotic stewardship activities throughout
the medical center. The clinical staff includes
six active duty and two civilian board-certified
ID specialists, a specialist in psychosomatic
medicine, a clinical social worker, a
supervisory
head
nurse
and
three
administrative and technical staff as well as a
clinical research staff of 11. We execute the
patient care and hospital support missions in
conjunction with research as well as medical
education at the undergraduate, residency
and fellowship levels.
The spectrum of diseases treated by the ID
Service
includes
infections related to
deployment
and
tropical
diseases
such
as
malaria,
dengue fever and
chikungunya
virus;
complications
of
combat trauma such
as
multi-drug-
resistant
bacteria
and invasive fungal
infections; sexually
transmitted diseases
and
HIV
prevention
services;
human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV); tuberculosis;
and other infections due to antibiotic-resistant
pathogens,
such
as
methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and novel
emerging threats.
The ID Clinic provides support to Walter Reed
Bethesda’s Solid Organ Transplant Service
through
pre-
and
post-donation
and
transplantation evaluation of prospective
donors
and
recipients,
as
well
as
comprehensive evaluation and clinical care for
patients at risk of opportunistic infections due
to
varying
causes
of
immunological
compromise.
The ID Service works in close collaboration
with the medical center’s Department of
Public Health and Preventive Medicine and the
Command Emergency Management group to
assure hospital and National Capitol Region
readiness for emerging communicable disease
threats such as MERS-CoV, novel influenza and
viral hemorrhagic fevers. We also work in
collaboration with civilian hospitals in the
region to include NIH, Washington Hospital
Center, Georgetown University Hospital and
George Washington University Hospital to
track concerning trends in local hospital
epidemiology. Finally, the ID Service supports
telehealth
consultations
from
deployed
clinicians across the globe, as well as senior
government activities in the Washington, DC
area.
Powerful Laboratory Diagnostic Tool Speeds
ID of Highly Infectious Viruses and Bacteria
With the assistance of our microbiology
laboratory, the Infectious Diseases Service
helped to introduce advanced microbiological
diagnostic capabilities with a multiplex
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) respiratory
panel that enables the rapid and accurate
automated detection of 17 viruses and three
In
fec
tious D
isea
ses
Infectious Diseases fellow
Dr. Shannon Wood
removes an eschar from
the skin of a patient
returning from South
America with lesions
concerning for cutaneous
leishmaniasis. Further
testing at the Walter
Reed Army Institute of
Research confirmed the
patient was infected with
Leishmania braziliensis.
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bacteria
organisms
that
cause
upper
respiratory tract infections—all from a nasal
swab analysis that can be completed in
approximately just an hour.
WRB has also introduced multiplex PCR
technology with similar rapid turnaround time
for the diagnosis of meningitis and bacterial
bloodstream infections. These advances will
aid our efforts to help providers better target
our antibiotic use and reduce the over-use of
broad-spectrum antibiotics that drive cost and
antimicrobial resistance in our hospital.
Launch of Institutional Antibiotic
Stewardship Decreases the Risk for Hospital
Infections and Enhances Patient Safety
Antimicrobial stewardship is a systematic
approach to the use of antimicrobial agents in
order
to
achieve
optimal
outcomes.
Successful stewardship programs improve
patient care through ongoing monitoring and
establishment of antimicrobial prescribing
best
practices.
Stewardship
decreases
antimicrobial
over-use
and
resistance,
unnecessary pharmacy expenditures, and
other direct and indirect hospital costs.
Additionally, judicious use of antimicrobials
can decrease the risk for Clostridium difficile
infections and potential toxicities related to
drug use. Antimicrobial stewardship is
essential to healthcare quality, patient safety
and public health alignment with the 2015
White House National Action Plan for
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. In
2016, Dr. Roseanne Ressner and Memar
Ayalew,
PharmD,
led
the
Antibiotic
Stewardship Program (ASP) initiative at WRB,
drafting the institution’s first-ever ASP policy
and initiating a multi-disciplinary ASP
committee to ensure best practices.
HIV Program Monitors Drug-Induced Side
Effects and Offers Risk-Reduction Services
Recognizing the growing demand for HIV
prevention
services
and
pre-exposure
prophylaxis (PrEP) in the military community,
the ID Service created an HIV PrEP Program
that now currently manages over 200 patients
on emtricitabine/tenofovir. In addition to
close monitoring for drug-induced side
effects, the program offers risk reduction
services, including behavioral counseling;
reinforcement of safe-sex behaviors to
decrease HIV and other sexually transmitted
infections (STI); and routine STI screening,
treatment and coordination of appropriate
contact tracing. The clinic program currently
serves as the model for further expansion of
PrEP services throughout the DoD to ensure
adequate access to high risk populations.
Mission-Critical Collaborative Engagement
The successful accomplishment of our mission
is achieved through our close affiliation with
military ID research organizations such as the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and
the Naval Medical Research Center and their
respective overseas laboratories, the Armed
Forces Health Surveillance Branch and Global
Emerging
Infections
Surveillance
and
Response System, and the US Army Medical
Research Institute for Infectious Diseases
(USAMRIID,
engaged
in
research
on
biodefense), as well as the Uniformed
Services University and civilian agencies,
including the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases and the FDA.
Histopathological exam
of tissue from the wound
of a Service member who
suffered a blast injury in
Afghanistan confirms the
presence of an invasive
mold infection with an
agent of mucormycosis
with fungal elements
seen invading necrotic
tissue and blood vessels.
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