181 - PCR Panels: Are They Leading to Antibiotic De-Escalation or Escalation?

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

3:15 PM - 4:30 PM US ET

Location: B308-B309

CME Credits: Maximum of 1.25 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
MOC Credits: Maximum of 1.25 hours of MOC Credit
CNE Credits: Maximum of 1.25 hours of ANCC Credit
ACPE Credits: ACPE 1.25 knowledge-based contact hours of pharmacy CE
ACPE Number: JA0007082-9999-24-002-L01-P
PACE Credits: Maximum of 1 of PACE contact hours
CE Broker: Maximum of 1 CE broker credit hours

Debate Style Moderator(s)

Yussef Bennani, MD, MPH (he/him/his)

Associate Professor of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
Richmond, VA, United States
Joanna Nelson, MD (she/her/hers)

Clinical Associate Professor
Stanford University
Stanford, CA, United States

Faculty(s)

FC

Felicia Chow, MD, MAS

University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States
Kevin Messacar, MD PhD

Professor
University of Colorado
Trevor Van Schooneveld, MD, FSHEA, FIDSA

Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases
Division of Infectious Diseases
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE, United States
Abinash Virk, MD, DTM&H, FIDSA

Professor
Infectious Diseases
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN, United States

Disclosure(s):

Yussef Bennani, MD, MPH: No financial relationships to disclose.

Joanna K. Nelson, MD: No financial relationships to disclose.

Felicia Chow, MD, MAS: No financial relationships to disclose.

Kevin Messacar, MD PhD: No financial relationships to disclose.

Trevor C. Van Schooneveld, MD, FSHEA, FIDSA: Biomerieux/Biofire diagnositcs: Advisor/Consultant, Grant/Research Support; Mannkind Corp: Grant/Research Support

Abinash Virk, MD, DTM&H, FIDSA: No financial relationships to disclose.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

describe benefits that diagnostic PCR panels for pneumonia may provide to antimicrobial stewardship efforts;
assess ways in which diagnostic PCR panels for pneumonia may be used improperly in patient evaluation;
evaluate ways in which diagnostic PCR panels for meningitis/encephalitis may be most useful in clinical practice;
integrate diagnostic PCR panels most appropriately into clinical practice.

Presentations:

3:15 PM - 3:33 PM US ET

Pneumonia PCR Panels Lead to Antibiotic De-Escalation - Pro
Debate Style Speaker: Abinash Virk, MD, DTM&H, FIDSA – Mayo Clinic
3:33 PM - 3:51 PM US ET

Pneumonia PCR Panels Lead to a De-Escalation of Antibiotic Use - Con
Debate Style Speaker: Trevor C. Van Schooneveld, MD, FSHEA, FIDSA – University of Nebraska Medical Center
3:51 PM - 4:09 PM US ET

Meningitis/Encephalitis PCR Panels Lead to a De-Escalation of Antibiotic Use - Pro
Debate Style Speaker: Felicia Chow, MD, MAS – University of California, San Francisco
4:09 PM - 4:30 PM US ET

Meningitis/Encephalitis PCR Panels Lead to a De-Escalation of Antibiotic Use - Con
Debate Style Speaker: Kevin Messacar, MD PhD – University of Colorado