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Charleston, MUSC host annual CASE meeting In an age when television ads for medications are the norm, many physicians and pharmacists worry about the impact of antibiotic use, misuse, and overuse. In response to these concerns, the Carolinas Antimicrobial Stewardship Effort (CASE) was created by a multidisciplinary group of infectious disease physicians, pharmacists, microbiologists, infection control practitioners, and scientists from university and community hospitals in North and South Carolina and Virginia. The organization’s third annual meeting was held at the Renaissance Charleston Hotel on Feb. 7 and 8. “This meeting underscores the increasing importance of appropriate antibiotic use and its role in controlling antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the community and the hospital. The diverse group of medical professionals, as well as the financial support from the CDC and various pharmaceutical companies, indicates the importance of this endeavor,” said MUSC’s Roger White, Pharm.D., and CASE meeting coordinator. On Feb. 8, MUSC’s John Bosso, Pharm.D., Oscar Herrera, M.D., White, and 60 other participants discussed topics including a national campaign to promote appropriate antibiotic use via the Centers for Disease Control, antibiotic and infection control efforts in individual hospitals, antibiotic usage and control efforts in individual institutions, and surveillance of antibiogram data in South Carolina hospitals. Because appropriate antibiotic usage is based on laboratory reporting of the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics some time was devoted to the development of a laboratory network among the states to monitor trends in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Richard Besser, M.D., and medical director for the CDC National Campaign for Appropriate Antibiotic Use, delivered the keynote speech at Friday’s reception. The program faculty represented MUSC, CDC, Wake Forest University, DHEC, Duke University, East Carolina School of Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Pitt County Memorial Hospital, USC College of Pharmacy, and the University/Medical College of Virginia.    Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.