Antibiotic Resistance News and Research

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Clear seasonal variation in bacterial infections

In the same way that winter is commonly known to be the "flu season," a new study suggests that the dog days of summer may well be the "bacterial infection" season.

26 Nov 2008

Study looks at exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from transportation of poultry

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found evidence of a novel pathway for potential human exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria from intensively raised poultry-driving behind the trucks transporting broiler chickens from farm to slaughterhouse.

24 Nov 2008

Gorillas may be at increased risk of pathogen exchange with humans

A new study finds that mountain gorillas are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal microbes, such as Escherichia Coli, from humans.

24 Nov 2008

Long-term use of a macrolide antibiotic reduce COPD exacerbations, raise questions

Long-term use of a macrolide antibiotic may reduce the frequency of exacerbations in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by as much as 35 percent, according to a London-based study.

21 Nov 2008

Scientists discover how certain antibiotics kill bacteria

A series of genetic clues led a team of Boston University biomedical engineers to uncover exactly how certain antibiotics kill bacteria.

17 Nov 2008

Accelr8 announces study results with BACcel diagnostic system for broad resistance in gram-negative pathogens

Accelr8 Technology Corporation announced study results today that were presented at the joint sessions of the 48 th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC, www.icaac.org) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA, www.idsociety.org), October 25-29 in Washington, DC.

7 Nov 2008

Scientists step closer to finding a defense against superbugs

A discovery from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has put scientists are one step closer to finding a defense against dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes called "superbugs."

4 Nov 2008

Gates Foundation grant to help prevent deaths in Africa by improving antibiotic access

The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) has announced a $1.37 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to explore ways of reducing millions of preventable deaths from severe respiratory and diarrheal infections in Africa. This project was announced in conjunction with a colloquium at the annual ICAAC/IDSA meeting warning of increasing antibiotic resistance.

26 Oct 2008

Antibiotics still being over-prescribed by GPs

Antibiotics are still being over-prescribed by GPs in contravention of guidelines, potentially contributing to antibiotic-resistant "superbugs", research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester has shown.

8 Sep 2008

Milk may help bacteria survive against low levels of antibiotics

Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals, scientists heard today (Monday 8 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

7 Sep 2008

An unsuspected weakness in tuberculosis - potential drug target

With antibiotic resistance on the rise, tuberculosis is emerging as a bigger global health threat than ever before.

31 Jul 2008

New antibiotics to fight MRSA

A new paper by Shahriar Mobashery, Navari Family Professor in Life Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, and researchers in his lab provides important insights into promising new antibiotics aimed at combating MRSA.

28 Jul 2008

UK report casts doubt on pandemic response effectiveness

A new report from the UK says far more needs to be done to protect against outbreaks of infectious diseases.

21 Jul 2008

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens isolated from cattle in different European countries

Tests of antibiotic resistance in cattle have revealed stark variation across thirteen European countries. The results, published in BioMed Central's open-access journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, show that major differences were apparent in the occurrence of resistance between countries and between the different antimicrobial agents tested.

7 Jul 2008

Superbug genome sequenced

The genome of a newly-emerging superbug, commonly known as Steno, has just been sequenced. The results reveal an organism with a remarkable capacity for drug resistance. The research was carried out by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge and the University of Bristol.

6 May 2008

Antibiotics for acute maxillary sinusitis

A Cochrane Systematic Review of medical research found that four out of five patients who are seen in primary care with simple sinusitis improved within two weeks even if they had not been given antibiotics.

17 Apr 2008

New strategy rapidly describes outbreak strains with next-generation DNA sequencing

In the event of an outbreak or a bioterrorist attack, rapid identification of the genetic changes responsible for virulence or drug resistance is essential to mounting an effective response.

11 Apr 2008

Solving the Z ring's mysteries may lead to new antibiotics

A team led by Johns Hopkins researchers has solved important puzzles concerning how certain proteins guide the reproduction of bacteria, discoveries that could lead to a new type of antibiotics.

9 Apr 2008

Oligosaccharides may help fight Salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria

Natural sugars found in breast milk that are now included in prebiotic foods may help in the fight against Salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria, scientists heard at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

2 Apr 2008

MRSA in hospital intensive care -- what's growing where?

Researchers are finding out which bugs grow in intensive care units to develop a novel sampling regime that would indicate the threat of MRSA and other superbugs in the environment, scientists heard (Monday 31 March 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's 162nd meeting being held this week at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

31 Mar 2008