Irving Nachamkin, DrPH, MPH, D(ABMM) FAAM FIDSA

faculty photo
Emeritus Professor CE of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Department: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Contact information
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
c/o Lab Administration
7 Founders/HUP
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283
Office: (215) 662-3436
Education:
B.Sc. (Medical Laboratory Science)
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 1975.
M.P.H. (Public Health Laboratory Practice)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 1978.
Dr.P.H. (Public Health Microbiology)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 1980.
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Description of Research Expertise

My research interests include studies on diagnostic stewardship, blood cultures, antimicrobial resistance, gastrointestinal infections, molecular diagnostics and other general areas in the field of clinical microbiology I also have a special interest in Campylobacter infections and its association with Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Description of Clinical Expertise

I am the immediate past Director of the Division of Laboratory Medicine (2009-2020) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as well as immediate past Associate Director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory (1982-2020). My areas of expertise include most areas of clinical microbiology. I have particular interests in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal infections.

Description of Other Expertise

I have published over 225 research papers, reviews, and book chapters. Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2fGzLjEAAAAJ&hl=en

Selected Publications

Nachamkin I, Babady E: The 2024 ASM Awards and Prize Program – Recognizing Excellence in the Microbiological Sciences. J Clin Microbiol Page: https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.00012-24, Feb 2024.

Sautter RL, Parrott JS, Nachamkin I*, Diel C, Tom RJ, Bobenchik AM, Bradford JY, Gilligan P, Halstead DC, LaSala PR, Mochon AB, Mortensen JL, Boyce L Baselski V: American Society for Microbiology Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guideline to Reduce Blood Culture Contamination Rates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin Microbiol Rev in press 2024 Notes: *co-corresponding author.

Nachamkin I: Campylobacter and Arcobacter. Manual of Clinical Microbiology, 13th Edition. Carroll KC, Pfaller MA (eds.). ASM Press, Washington D.C. March 2023 Notes: doi: 10.1128/9781683670438.MCM.ch58.

Lillis RA, Parker RL, Ackerman R, Ackerman J, Young S, Weissfeld A, Trevino E, Nachamkin I, Crane L, Brown J, Huang C, Liu X, Van Der Pol B.: Clinical Evaluation of a New Molecular Test for the Detection of Organisms Causing Vaginitis and Vaginosis. J Clin Microbiol Feb 2023 Notes: doi: 10.1128/jcm.01748-22.

Halstead DC, Sautter RL, Snyder JW, Crist Jr AE, Nachamkin I: Reducing Blood Culture Contamination Rates: Experiences of Four Hospital Systems. Infectious Diseases and Therapy 9(2): 389-401, May 2020 Notes: doi: 10.1007/s40121-020-00299-1.

Hudson LK, Andershock WE, Yan R, Golwalkar M, M’ikanatha NM, Nachamkin I, Thomas LS, Moore C, Qian X, Steece R, Garman KN, Dunn JR, Kovac J, Denes TG.: Phylogenetic analysis reveals source attribution patterns for Campylobacter spp in Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Microorganisms 9(11): 2900, Nov 2021 Notes: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9112300.

Nachamkin I, Richard-Greenblatt M, Yu M, Bui H.: Reduction in sporadic Norovirus infections following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2019-2020, Philadelphia. Infectious Diseases and Therapy 10(3): 1793-1798, June 2021 Notes: doi:10.1007/s40121-021-00473-z.

Kraft C, Parrott J, Cornish N, Rubinstein M, Weissfeld A, McNult P, Nachamkin I, Humphries R, Kirn T, Dien Bard J, Lutgring J, Gullett J, Bittencourt C, Benson S, Bobenchik A, Sautter R, Baselski V, Atlas M, Marlowe B, Miller N, Fischer M, Richter S, Gilligan P, Snyder J: A laboratory medicine best practices systematic review and meta-analysis of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) and algorithms including NAAT for the diagnosis of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in adults. Clin Microbiol Rev Page: DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00032-18, June 2019.

Doan, T., A. Hinterwirth, L. Worden, A.M. Arzika, R. Maliki, A. Abdou, S. Kane, L. Zhong, S.L. Cummings, S. Sakar, C. Chen, C. Cook, E. Lebas, E.D. Chow, I. Nachamkin, T.C. Porco, J.D. Keenan, T.M. Lietman: Gut microbiome alteration in MORDOR I: a community-randomized trial of mass azithromycin distribution. Nat Medicine 25: 1370-76, August 2019 Notes: also see editorial https://rdcu.be/bQWYM.

Asti, L., Bartsch, S., Umsheid, C., Hamilton, K., Nachamkin, I., Lee, B.: The Potential Economic Value of Sputum Culture Use in Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia and Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia Clin Microbiol Infect 25(8): 1038.e1-1038.e9, August 2019.

Chen A, Bilker W, Hamilton K, O'Donnell J, Nachamkin I: Blood culture utilization at an academic hospital: addressing a gap in benchmarking. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 39(11): 1353-59, Nov 2018.

Sedrak MS, Myers JS, Small DS, Nachamkin I, Ziemba JB, Murray D, Kurtzman GW, Zhu J, Wang W, Mincarelli D, Danoski D, Wells BP, Berns JS, Brennan PJ, Hanson CW, Dine CJ, Patel MS: Effect of a Price Transparency Intervention in the Electronic Health Record on Clinician Ordering of Inpatient Laboratory Tests: The PRICE Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med 177(7): 939-945, 2017 Notes: Cited 51 times through 2021.

Nachamkin I, Nguyen P.: Isolation of Campylobacter species from stool samples using a filtration method: assessment from a U.S. based population. J Clin Microbiol 55: 2204-7, July 2017.

Nachamkin, I., Kirn, T., Westblade, L., Humphries, R.: Assessing Clinical Microbiology Practice Guidelines: American Society for Microbiology ad hoc Committee on Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines Assessment. J. Clin. Microbiol. 55: 3194-3200, Nov 2017 Notes: doi: 10.1128/JCM.01124-17.

Bartsch SM, Umsheid CA, Nachamkin I, Hamilton K, Lee BY.: Comparing the economic and health benefits of different approaches to diagnosing Clostridium difficile infection. Clin Microbiol Infect 21(1): 77.e1-9, Jan 2015.

Garrigan C, Han J, Tolomeo P, Johnson KJ, Master SR, Lautenbach E and Nachamkin I: Evaluation of a research use only luminex based assay for measurement of procalcitonin in serum samples. Am J Translation Research 8: 4362-69, Oct 2016.

Fitzgerald C, Patrick M, Gonzalez A, Akin J, Polage C, Wymore K, Gillim-Ross L, Xavier K, Sadlowski J, Monahan J, Hurd S, Dahlberg S, Jerris R, Watson R, Santovenia M, Mitchell D, Harrison C, Tobin-D'Angelo M, DeMartino M, Pentella M, Leonard C, Razaq J, Jung C, Achong-Bowe R, Evans Y, Jain D, Juni B, Leano F, Robinson R, Smith S, Gittelman R, Garrigan C, Nachamkin I and Campylobacter Diagnostics Study Working Group : Multicenter evaluation of clinical diagnostic methods for detection and isolation of Campylobacter spp. from stool. J Clin Microbiol 54: 1209-1215, May 2016.

Sloan CE, Bernard S, Nachamkin I.: Appropriateness of Expectorated Sputum Cultures in the Hospital Setting. Diag Microbiol Infect Dis 83(1): 74-6, Sept 2015.

Alby K., Nachamkin I.: Gastrointestinal Infections. Microbiology Spectrum. Hayden RT, Wolk DM, Carroll KC, Tang Y-W (eds.). 4(3): doi:10.1128 /microbiolspec.DMIH2-0005-2015, June 2016.

Garrigan C, Attela A, Poly F, Guerry P, Nachamkin I: Distribution of Campylobacter jejuni capsular types, 2007-2012, Philadelphia, PA. Diag Microbiol Infect Dis 80: 204-206, August 2014.

Han J., Nachamkin I., Coffin S., Gerber J., Fuchs B., Garrigan C., Han X., Bilker W., Wise J., Tolomeo P., Lautenbach E. : Use of a combination biomarker algorithm to identify medical intensive care unit patients with suspected sepsis at very low likelihood of bacterial infection. Antimicrobial Agents Chemother 59(10): 6494-6500, Oct 2015.

Engberg, J., Aarestrup, F.M., Taylor, D.E., Gerner-Smidt, P., Nachamkin, I.: Quinolone and macrolides resistance in Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli: A review of mechanisms and trends over time of resistance profiles in human isolates. Emerg Infect Dis 7: 724-734, 2001 Notes: Cited 851 times through 2021.

Nachamkin, I., Arzarte Barbosa, P., Ung, H., Lobato, C., Gonzalez Rivera, A., Rodriguez, P., Garcia Briseno, A., Maria Cordero, L., Garcia Perea, L., Carlos Perez, J., Ribera, P. Chico Aldama, G. Davila Gutierrez, L. Flores Sarnat, M. ruiz Garcia, M., Veitch, J., Fitzgerald, C., Cornblath, D., Pinto, M.R., Griffin, J.W., Willison, H.J., Asbury, A.K, McKhann, G.M.: Patterns of Guillain-Barre syndrome in children: results from a Mexican population. Neurology 69: 1665-1671, October 2007 Notes: No of citations (through 2021): 161.

Nachamkin, I., Szymanski, C., Blaser, M.J. (eds): Campylobacter, 3rd edition. ASM Press. ASM Press, Washington DC, May 2008 Notes: Cited 409 times through 2021.

Nachamkin, I., Ung, H., Li, M.: Increasing fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter jejuni, Pennsylvania, 1982-2001. Emerg Infect Dis 8: 1501-1503, 2002 Notes: Cited 176 times (through 2021).

Ho, T.W., Willison, H.J., Nachamkin, I., Veitch, J., Li, C.Y., Cornblath, D.R., Asbury, A.K., Griffin, J.W., McKhann, G.M.: Anti-GD1a antibody distinguishes axonal from demyelinating forms of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Ann. Neurol. 45: 168-173, 1999 Notes: Cited 364 times through 2021.

Nachamkin, I., Mishu, B., Ho., T.: Campylobacter and Guillain Barre Syndrome. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 11: 555-567, 1998 Notes: No. of citations (through 2021): 706.

Sheikh, K.A., Nachamkin, I., Ho, T.W., Willison, H.J., Veitch, J., Li, C.Y., Cornblath, D.R., Asbury, A.K., McKhann, G.M., Griffin, J.W.: Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides in Guillain-Barre syndrome: molecular mimicry and host susceptibility/determinants of outcome after Campylobacter jejuni infection. Neurology 51: 371-378, 1998 Notes: Cited 176 times (through 2021).

Ho, T.W., Hsieh, S.-T., Nachamkin, I., Willison, H.J., Sheikh, K., Kiehlbauch, J., Flanigan, K., McArthur, J.C., Cornblath, D.R., McKhann, G.M., Griffin, J.W. : Motor nerve terminal degeneration provides a potential mechanism for rapid recovery in Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy after Campylobacter infection. Neurology 48: 717-724, 1997 Notes: Cited 224 times (through 2021).

Siegel, D., Edelstein, P.H., Nachamkin, I.: Inappropriate utilization of microbiologic tests for the diagnosis of diarrheal disease in hospitalized patients. J.A.M.A. 263: 979-982, 1990 Notes: This paper described the "three-day" rule for testing in the laboratory, subsequently validated by many other studies and eventually adopted as a standard of practice throughout the U.S. (cited 219 times through 2021).

Nachamkin, I., Bohachick, K., Patton, C.M.: Flagellin gene typing of Campylobacter jejuni by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 31: 1531-1536, 1993 Notes: Cited 343 times through 2021.

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Last updated: 09/15/2024
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