#117 – Amnio-Oh-No You Didn’t: Modernizing Antimicrobial Regimens for Intraamniotic Infections

Drs. Amy Crockett (@amyhcrockett), Ben Ereshefsky (@brainofbpharm), and Pamela Bailey (@pamipenem) join Dr. Julie Ann Justo (@julie_justo) to discuss new treatment strategies for management of intraamniotic infections, also known as chorioamnionitis. They discuss whether it is time to move away from the combination of ampicillin, gentamicin, and/or clindamycin, alternative antibiotic regimens to consider, and stewardship strategies to approach this practice change at a local level.

References:

  1. Basic stats/epi on chorioamnionitis: Romero R, et al. Clinical chorioamnionitis at term I: microbiology of the amniotic cavity using cultivation and molecular techniques. J Perinat Med. 2015 Jan;43(1):19-36. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2014-0249. PMID: 25720095.
  2. ACOG 2017 Guideline for IAI: Committee Opinion No. 712: Intrapartum Management of Intraamniotic Infection. Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Aug;130(2):e95-e101. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002236. PMID: 28742677.
  3. ACOG 2024 Update on clinical criteria for IAI: ACOG Clinical Practice Update: Update on Criteria for Suspected Diagnosis of Intraamniotic Infection. Obstetrics & Gynecology 144(1):p e17-e19, July 2024. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005593
  4. Helpful review with more recent microorganisms : Jung E, et al. Clinical chorioamnionitis at term: definition, pathogenesis, microbiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2024 Mar;230(3S):S807-S840. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.02.002. PMID: 38233317.
  5. Cochrane Review: Chapman E, et al. Antibiotic regimens for management of intra-amniotic infection. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Dec 19;2014(12):CD010976. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010976.pub2. PMID: 25526426.
  6. Helpful recent review on intrapartum infections: Bailey, P, et al_._ Out with the Old, In with the New: A Review of the Treatment of Intrapartum Infections. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2024;26:107–113 doi: 10.1007/s11908-024-00838-8.
  7. Role of genital mycoplasmas in IAI: Romero R, et al. Evidence that intra-amniotic infections are often the result of an ascending invasion – a molecular microbiological study. J Perinat Med. 2019 Nov 26;47(9):915-931. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2019-0297. PMID: 31693497.
  8. Regimens without enterococcal coverage with similar clinical outcomes: Blanco JD, et al. Randomized comparison of ceftazidime versus clindamycin-tobramycin in the treatment of obstetrical and gynecological infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1983 Oct;24(4):500-4. doi: 10.1128/AAC.24.4.500. PMID: 6360038.
  9. Bookstaver PB, et al. A review of antibiotic use in pregnancy. Pharmacotherapy. 2015 Nov;35(11):1052-62. doi: 10.1002/phar.1649. PMID: 26598097.
  10. Updated review in pregnancy, includes data on frequency of antibiotic use in pregnancy: Nguyen J, et al. A review of antibiotic safety in pregnancy-2025 update. Pharmacotherapy. 2025 Apr;45(4):227-237. doi: 10.1002/phar.70010. Epub 2025 Mar 19. PMID: 40105039.
  11. Locksmith GJ, et al. High compared with standard gentamicin dosing for chorioamnionitis: a comparison of maternal and fetal serum drug levels. Obstet Gynecol. 2005 Mar;105(3):473-9. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000151106.87930.1a. PMID: 15738010.
  12. Clindamycin CDI Risk: Miller AC, et al. Comparison of Different Antibiotics and the Risk for Community-Associated Clostridioides difficile Infection: A Case-Control Study. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Aug 5;10(8):ofad413. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad413. PMID: 37622034.
  13. Impact of penicillin allergy on clindamycin use & cites 47% clindamycin resistance per CDC among GBS: Snider JB, et al. Antibiotic choice for Group B Streptococcus prophylaxis in mothers with reported penicillin allergy and associated newborn outcomes. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 May 30;23(1):400. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05697-0. PMID: 37254067.
  14. Clindamycin anaerobic coverage data: Hastey CJ, et al. Changes in the antibiotic susceptibility of anaerobic bacteria from 2007-2009 to 2010-2012 based on the CLSI methodology. Anaerobe. 2016 Dec;42:27-30. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2016.07.003. PMID: 27427465.
  15. Older PK study of ampicillin & gentamicin for chorioamnionitis: Gilstrap LC 3rd, Bawdon RE, Burris J. Antibiotic concentration in maternal blood, cord blood, and placental membranes in chorioamnionitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1988 Jul;72(1):124-5. PMID: 3380500.
  16. Paper putting out the call for modernization of OB/Gyn antibiotic regimens: Pek Z, Heil E, Wilson E. Getting With the Times: A Review of Peripartum Infections and Proposed Modernized Treatment Regimens. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 Sep 5;9(9):ofac460. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac460. PMID: 36168554.
  17. Vanderbilt University Medical Center experience with modernizing OB/Gyn infection regimens: Smiley C, et al. Implementing Updated Intraamniotic Infection Guidelines at a Large Academic Medical Center. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024 Sep 5;11(9):ofae475. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae475. PMID: 39252868.
  18. Prisma Health/University of South Carolina experience with modernizing OB/Gyn infection regimens: Bailey P, et al. Cefoxitin for Intra-amniotic Infections and Endometritis: A Retrospective Comparison to Traditional Antimicrobial Therapy Regimens Within a Healthcare System. Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Jul 19;79(1):247-254. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae042. PMID: 38297884.

Guests

Pam Bailey Headshot 1

Pamela Bailey DO, MPH

Dr. Bailey is an infectious diseases physician at Prisma Health Midlands and assistant professor of medicine at the University of South Carolina Columbia. She went to medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed internal medicine residency at Christiana Care Health System. She completed her fellowship in infectious diseases as well as a research year in hospital epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, when she also completed her MPH. Her research is predominantly focused in quality improvement initiatives in antimicrobial stewardship and healthcare epidemiology.

Ben Ereshefsky Headshot 1

Ben Ereshefsky, PharmD, BCIDP

Dr. Ereshefsky is clinical pharmacy specialist in infectious diseases and the co-director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. His professional interests include antimicrobial stewardship, utilization of rapid diagnostic tests, and treatment of gram-negative resistant infections.

Amy Crockett Headshot 1

Amy H. Crockett, MD, MSPH

Dr. Crockett is a maternal fetal medicine specialist and a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Prisma Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. In addition to providing full scope obstetric care, she has led research and implementation projects funded by the NIH, the March of Dimes, the Duke Endowment and the State of South Carolina. She is the Clinical Lead for the South Carolina Quality Improvement Collaborative, the Birth Outcomes Initiative and is actively involved with statewide patient safety and quality improvement initiatives.

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