Sean Ong
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seanong.bsky.social
Sean Ong
@seanong.bsky.social
1K followers 180 following 100 posts
ID doc and joint PhD candidate at University of Toronto + University of Melbourne. Talk to me about clinical trial design and methodology, bloodstream infections, S. aureus, and Gram negatives 🦠

🇸🇬🇨🇦🇦🇺
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Reposted by Sean Ong
steventong.bsky.social
@seanong.bsky.social is giving his PhD oration today at 12.30pm AEDT. If you are free, you will learn heaps about clinical trials in infectious diseases. It's been an incredible PhD journey!

unimelb.zoom.us/j/8944229688...

@thedohertyinst.bsky.social
November 16, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
thelancetinfdis.bsky.social
New Research

Accounting for non-adherence to assigned antibiotic treatment duration for bloodstream infection (BALANCE): a post-hoc analysis of a randomised clinical trial

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Accounting for non-adherence to assigned antibiotic treatment duration for bloodstream infection (BALANCE): a post-hoc analysis of a randomised clinical trial
Non-adherence in BALANCE was significantly associated with a range of important prognostic factors, which might have introduced bias. Causal inference methods addressing this bias showed a consistent ...
www.thelancet.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:58 AM
seanong.bsky.social
Hot off the press at @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social: our paper diving into non-adherence in the BALANCE trial. We identify factors associated with protocol non-adherence, and evaluate the impact of potential bias on trial results.

authors.elsevier.com/a/1m5He5E-Uo...

@steventong.bsky.social #IDSky
authors.elsevier.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:55 AM
seanong.bsky.social
We are looking for candidates for a new fully-funded joint PhD position at the Universities of Toronto and Melbourne, working on RCTs in bloodstream infection (BALANCE+, SNAP, STRAP).

More info here: forms.gle/H9TXEMkwM1cb...

Please spread far and wide!
@steventong.bsky.social #IDSky
forms.gle
October 27, 2025 at 5:44 AM
seanong.bsky.social
I owe a lot to the site formerly known as Twitter (it's where I found my amazing joint PhD position thanks to a fortuitous post by @steventong.bsky.social), but it's completely unusable now and full of irrelevant material that I don't want to see. I no longer use it, and am firmly Team BlueSky!
October 16, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
angelahuttner.bsky.social
David Paterson and the ADVANCE-ID team are doing a lot of work for us summarizing recent literature on bacterial & fungal infections & therapies. If you aren't already receiving their bimonthly newsletters, you should! ad-id.co/subscribe

#IDSky #Clinmicro
Logo for the ADVANCE-ID group's 'Bacterial and fungal infections newsletter'.
October 15, 2025 at 4:42 AM
seanong.bsky.social
Our new paper in @cmijournal.bsky.social led by the brilliant Hadrien Moffroid, a junior colleague in Melbourne. We examined international funding flows in ID RCTs published in selected high-impact journals over a 10-year period.

doi.org/10.1016/j.cm...
@steventong.bsky.social #IDSky
Heat map of countries funding ID clinical trials and countries where ID clinical trials are conducted.
September 29, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
josephmarcusid.medsky.social
New post-hoc Camera-2 📷 post-hoc analysis out today regarding adherence to quality metrics in MRSA bacteremia.

Compared to similar non-trial population w/ MRSA bacteremia:
-No difference in 🪦, BUT
-non-trial had less following of quality metrics (see ⬇️)

#IDSky

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Quality-of-Care Indicator Adherence and Mortality Outcomes in MRSA Bacteremia
This post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial investigates whether patient participation in clinical trials is associated with practitioner adherence to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus au...
jamanetwork.com
July 27, 2025 at 12:59 AM
seanong.bsky.social
Glad to have the opportunity to collaborate with Spanish colleagues on this. We conducted a pooled Bayesian post-hoc analysis of the BACSARM and SAFO trials evaluating combination therapy with fosfomycin for SAB. The door may not be closed on adjunctive fosfomycin! Justifies need for more RCTs.
July 18, 2025 at 12:53 AM
seanong.bsky.social
Thankful for another opportunity to write this editorial with @steventong.bsky.social in @jama.com: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

We discuss this trial, which evaluated the impact of different recruitment letter formats on RCT enrolment: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Trials Within Trials—Optimizing the Delivery of RCTs
In the latest issue of JAMA, Johansen and colleagues1 report the results of a trial that investigated the impact of digital recruitment letter formats on recruitment to a larger clinical trial, the DA...
jamanetwork.com
June 26, 2025 at 3:03 AM
seanong.bsky.social
Our review on hierarchical composite endpoints (HCEs) has just been published in @cidjournal.bsky.social:
doi.org/10.1093/cid/...

We provide a conceptual overview of HCEs, explain the different associated target parameters and analytic methods.

@steventong.bsky.social @gurujosh.bsky.social
Making sense of hierarchical composite endpoints in randomized clinical trials – a primer for infectious disease clinicians and researchers
Hierarchical composite endpoints (HCEs) are increasingly being used in infectious diseases research. In this review aimed at educating the clinical reader,
doi.org
June 16, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
germhuntermd.bsky.social
Making sense of hierarchical composite endpoints in randomized clinical trials – a primer for infectious disease clinicians and researchers

@seanong.bsky.social @gurujosh.bsky.social @steventong.bsky.social and colleagues

Open Access #IDSky #MedSky

academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Venn diagram with one circle representing ordinal endpoints (eg WHO clinical progression score for COVID, modified Rankin scale, Glasgow outcome score, etc), another representing composite endpoints (eg time to death, treatment failure, or disease recurrence), and area of overlap (hierarchical composite endpoints, eg DOOR and extensions as seen in REMAP-CAP).
June 13, 2025 at 7:30 PM
seanong.bsky.social
Honoured to be invited to write this commentary with @steventong.bsky.social, on an excellent target trial emulation study which showed that antibiotic use was not associated with improved outcomes in non-severe COVID-19.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

#IDSky
Target Trial Emulation for Antibiotic Use in Acute COVID-19
This study by Pulia and colleagues1 reports results from a large population-based cohort using target trial emulation to examine the associations of antibiotic treatment with clinical outcomes in pati...
jamanetwork.com
May 20, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
brxad.bsky.social
🆕 Evaluating BSI in Ontario we found #AMR was associated with a 10% ⬆️ risk of death equivalent to 1.2 deaths/100,000 people/year

These estimates are lower than those in previous literature, which may be due to robust adjustment for confounding

doi.org/10.1093/cid/...
@cidjournal.bsky.social
May 16, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
cidjournal.bsky.social
Evaluating Harms Associated With Prolonged Antibiotic Duration of Therapy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cohort Study Using Instrumental Variable Analysis

#IDSky
Evaluating Harms Associated With Prolonged Antibiotic Duration of Therapy in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cohort Study Using Instrumental Variable Analysis
Shorter courses of antibiotic therapy are increasingly recommended to reduce antibiotic exposure. However, quantifying the real-world impact of duration of therapy is hindered by bias common in observational studies.
academic.oup.com
May 10, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
germhuntermd.bsky.social
Cefazolin vs Antistaphylococcal Penicillins for Treatment of Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis

@connorprosty.bsky.social @seanong.bsky.social &c

Cefaz more effective, safer #idsky
www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/article/S119... 🔓
Forest plot of 30 day all cause mortality which favors cefazolin (OR=0.73, 95%CI=0.62-0.85) Forest plot of discontinuation due to adverse effects which favors cefazolin (OR=0.13, 95%CI=0.06-0.27)
May 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
seanong.bsky.social
Our new paper in @cmijournal.bsky.social, a systematic review where we evaluated reporting of baseline sociodemographic characteristics across 1343 ID clinical trials over a 10-year period. A 🧵:

@steventong.bsky.social #IDSky

doi.org/10.1016/j.cm...
Redirecting
doi.org
May 7, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
cmicomms.bsky.social
🎙️ Just published a new episode of #Communicable: "SNAP out of it"

In first collaboration with #Breakpoints, we unpack new results from the S. aureus SNAP trial platform with @gurujosh.bsky.social & @steventong.bsky.social. Listen here:

#IDSky #Clinmicro #MedSky #PharmSky
Communicable E26: SNAP out of it: Rethinking anti-staphylococcal penicillins for S. aureus bacteremia - the SNAP trial PSSA/MSSA results
In this first-ever collaboration between Communicable and Breakpoints,...
share.transistor.fm
May 4, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
absteward.bsky.social
🆕🔥Case-control study @bradspellberg.bsky.social
Just 1/4 blood cultures positive (≥2 sets drawn) or early clearance → low IE probability. Persistent bacteremia or 4/4 bottles ↑ pretest probability
Simple bedside clues to sharpen your endocarditis game. #IDSky #EMIMCC
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
May 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
josemolinagb.bsky.social
2025 Update of SPIRIT guidelines for RCT protocols: www.thelancet.com/action/showP... #IDSky #Medsky
April 29, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
steventong.bsky.social
Please apply if your interested in running a new adaptive platform trial for invasive Streptococcal infections. Will work closely with the #SNAP_trial team.

@thedohertyinst.bsky.social

Applications close May 20 2025.

jobs.unimelb.edu.au/en/job/92003...
Details : Project Manager : The University of Melbourne
Careers at The University of Melbourne
jobs.unimelb.edu.au
April 29, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
cidjournal.bsky.social
Adverse events of first-line therapy for pediatric tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

✅ Just Accepted
✍️ @mpnuk.bsky.social
#IDSky
Adverse events of first-line therapy for pediatric tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) increased recommended doses of first-line tuberculosis (TB) drugs for children.
doi.org
April 2, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
rozscourse.bsky.social
Today in PLOS Global Public Health, MSF has published the costs of its landmark TB-PRACTECAL clinical trial. This is the first time the detailed costs of an individual clinical trial have ever been shared, challenging the lack of transparency in drug R&D costs 🧵

journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
Cost analysis of the TB-PRACTECAL clinical trial on novel tuberculosis treatment regimens
Clinical trials are considered to be the largest contributor to pharmaceutical development costs. However, public disclosure of the costs of individual clinical trials is rare. Médecins Sans Frontiè...
journals.plos.org
April 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Sean Ong
marionkcampbell.bsky.social
A major update to the CONSORT reporting guidance for clinical trials was published last week.
📌 CONSORT 2025 replaces all previous versions and should be used from now on.
So what’s new and what’s different? 1/7
#MethodologyMonday #116
(COI - I am a co-author)
April 21, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Reposted by Sean Ong
brxad.bsky.social
🐶🐱 Companion animals need #AntimicrobialStewardship too! In our new SR/MA (led by Dr. Fiona Emdin), we examined short vs. long antibiotic durations for UTIs in dogs & cats.📉 Pooled RR for cure = 0.55 (95% CI: 0.23–1.27), very low certainty.
🔓 doi.org/10.1186/s129...
More high-quality data needed!
April 18, 2025 at 1:55 PM