Colin S Brown

Thrilled to be at my alma mater @LSHTM for the launch of the WHO/BMJ Global Health Community Hand Hygiene Guidelines—and to join the keynote panel. Sobering stats—1.7B still lack access to soap & water! Available here tinyurl.com/49333mmb 🧼🌍 #HandHygiene #PublicHealth #WHO

🚨The largest-ever regional training on molecular AMR detection just wrapped up in Trinidad, hosted by CARPHA, with support from UKHSA, PAHO, and the Fleming Fund.

Proud that my team contributed to this milestone, supporting regional efforts to build lab capacity.

🔗https://tinyurl.com/ysd2xztd

📢 New research from Oxford AMR/HCAI HPRU:

We applied an EHR-wide association study to uncover risk factors for E. coli bloodstream infections over 6 years

🧠 Frailty-related factors (renal/UTI, cancer, GI) drive risk
🛠️ Highlights need for multifaceted prevention strategies

doi.org/10.1016/j.ji...

The best thing about global ‘one health’ events that are held in the zoo, is that at the end of the day you get to go to the zoo….

Delighted to have played an incredibly modest role in commenting on (and hopefully in some small way shaping) the draft pandemic agreement - this will be a great tool for global cooperation, preparedness plans, and equity in response and access for diagnostics/therapeutics for the challenges ahead.

We aim to improve regional capacity to monitor AMR, respond to resistant infections, and build long-term resilience against future threats, with a core focus on strengthening surveillance and enhancing laboratory capacity, bridging national and regional efforts including the UK Overseas Territories

Delighted to help launch our Caribbean Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance (CARA) in Barbados - a joint initiative between the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the UK Health Security Agency Health (UKHSA), supported by the UK’s Fleming Fund - with joint working with PAHO

t.co/fACtT6sf5h

Over the weekend I said to my 4 year old son 'let's race' - and he held my hand and said 'let's win together'. Need to bring more of that spirit to work and life....

Candidozyma auris from the lab to the front line: A discussion with UKHSA experts In this episode Martin talks to Dr Andy Borman, (Acting Head and Consultant Clinical Scientist, UKHSA National UK Mycology Reference Lab. also Hon Professor of Medical Mycology, MRC CMM, University…

Had a wonderful chat with @emrsa15.bsky.social, Andy Borman, and Mariyam Mirfenderesky on the @icmatters.bsky.social podcast about C. auris control - could have chatted for hours about this difficult bug and the present and future challenges it presents

infectioncontrolmatters.com/2025/04/30/c...

Pope Francis was a true servant leader, a most decent man, inclusive and humble, and forthright about social justice. A great loss indeed.

A very happy Easter to all who celebrate - many things as I get older and (somewhat) wiser continue to amaze me. That Peeps (truly an abomination) are ‘artificially flavoured’ is not one of these things…

Very useful @onisillos.bsky.social - as a reviewer also

There are many ways that my homeland of Northern Ireland produces talent and influence beyond its diminutive size, very well done to Rory

The importance of monitoring a new antibiotic: ceftazidime/avibactam usage and resistance experience from England, 2016 to 2020 Background Ceftazidime/avibactam, launched in the United Kingdom (UK) in March 2017, is an antibiotic against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens. It was selected for the government’s subscrip...

Our review of novel antimicrobial surveillance for the novel drug subscription model pilot - ceftazidime/avibactam use and susceptibility testing increased in the lead up to the pilot, as did (low) levels of resistance, and in the context of treatment
www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

Secret to stronger pour-over coffee with no extra beans unlocked by scientists Pouring water slowly, steadily and from height is key to achieving ‘avalanche’ mixing effect

Now this is research that really matters.

www.theguardian.com/food/2025/ap...

The role and needs of teachers/schools in infection prevention and control post COVID-19 COVID-19 highlighted the importance of infection prevention and control (IPC) across all settings. This study aimed to understand current teacher IPC …

We just published a study identifying the role/needs of teachers/schools in infection prevention and control post COVID-19, highlighting their pivotal place in preventing communicable disease, and further training needed to support the educational workforce. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Very useful summary of public health infectious disease threats seen in England since the COVID-19 pandemic, including work highlighting the economic benefits of health protection interventions and in identifying health inequalities across infections

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e281...

Delighted to have appeared on this excellent www.digitalamr.org / The Naked Scientists podcast on current and future AMR challenges - if you are interested, we have an entire lecture series available on YouTube at youtube.com/@digitalheal...

Not yet David, we do hope to do this for the next iteration

Never too early for coffee

Contains updated sections on:
• introduction and background
• investigations in clinical laboratories
• screening of patients and contacts
• management of patients testing C. auris positive (colonised and infected)
• infection prevention and control
• notification, reporting and information sharing

Delighted to announce the updated national Candidozyma auris (Candida auris) guidance (for healthcare settings in England) is now available: gov.uk/government/p...

A summary of recommendations provides a concise overview of the guidance to support adoption and implementation across acute healthcare

I used to love this view when I was a student - would often sit and revise in/overlooking the gardens

For everyone who is Irish or holds Ireland dear to them - lá fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh

And a superb venue in the QE2, with London looking very welcoming despite the cold

Some incredible talks here today - fungal infections affected by conflict, planetary changes (increasing temperature and natural disasters), and HIV care; neglected tropical infections; integration with pandemic preparedness; and horizon scanning for novel therapeutics and diagnostics. #mycology2025

What a wonderful venue to have a conference dinner at - and to see some old pals @drneilstone.bsky.social @neleshg.bsky.social
- looking forward to some exciting fungal resistance talks tomorrow at #FungalUpdate2025

You can find a more detailed @andmazzella.bsky.social (who led this work) summary here - though of course please do read the paper - we are committed to both investigating and helping readdress inequality over the course of our new AMR National Action Plan in the UK bsky.app/profile/andm...

Health inequalities in incidence of bacteraemias: a national surveillance and data linkage study, England, 2018 to 2022 Background Health inequalities exist globally, but limited data exist on this topic for bacteraemia. Aim In this study we investigated health inequalities surrounding bacteraemia in England, to identi...

We just published analysis that in England ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation are associated with a higher risk of acquiring blood-stream infections caused by E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and MSSA/MRSA - now we must redress that imbalance

www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

UKHSA publishes latest survey on healthcare-associated infections The report finds that overall healthcare-associated infections were present in 7.6% of patients, a 1% increase on the last reported figures in 2016.

We just published our national point prevalence survey on healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs), antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial stewardship in England, 2023

Overall HCAIs were present in 7.6% of patients, a 1% increase since 2016, with AMU static at 37.3%

www.gov.uk/government/n...