1st Asia-Pacific Summit

4–5 March 2006
Singapore

The 1st Asia-Pacific Academy for Infection Management (AIM) summit meeting was held in Singapore on 4–5 March 2006. Approximately 150 delegates from around the region attended, with India, Malaysia and Singapore being strongly represented.

The 2-day meeting comprised plenary presentations and interactive case studies that showed the new treatment paradigm. Physicians were urged to ‘get it right first time’ in infection by using broad-spectrum antibiotics empirically and then de-escalating upon receipt of microbiological test results.

AIM core faculty members Bob Masterton (UK) and Jeff Lipman (Australia) were joined by Jamshed Sunavala (India), Victor Lim (Malaysia), Herman Goossens (Belgium), Wong Sin-Yew (Singapore) and Phil Turner (UK).

The diverse range of topics covered the evidence base for the new treatment paradigm, selection of the appropriate empiric antibiotic, recent guidelines, the role of the microbiologist in the new treatment paradigm, the need for surveillance studies, bacterial resistance mechanisms and the current resistance situation in the Asia-Pacific region, with a special focus on surveillance data for the region.

The meeting was exceptionally well received, with more than 90% of the delegates stating that they would like to attend a similar event in the future.

Speaker Presentations from Day 1

AIM: An overview
J Sunavala, India

Evidence base for the new treatment paradigm
J Lipman, Australia

Pneumonia treatment guidelines
R Masterton, UK

The current resistance situation in Asia-Pacific – MYSTIC/Sentry data
J Lipman, Australia

Speaker Presentations from Day 2

The New Treatment Paradigm: Selecting the Appropriate Empiric Antibiotics
R Masterton , UK

The Need for Surveillance Studies
P Turner , UK

The New Treatment Paradigm: The Role of the Microbiologist
H Goossens, Belgium

Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance
H Goossens, Belgium

Summary
J Lipman, Australia