Staphylococcus aureus News and Research

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Staphylococcus aureus is a spherical bacterium (coccus) which on microscopic examination appears in pairs, short chains, or bunched, grape-like clusters. These organisms are Gram-positive. Some strains are capable of producing a highly heat-stable protein toxin that causes illness in humans.

Researcher finds antibiotic in Eastern Red Cedar tree effective against MRSA

Most people would never suspect that a "trash tree," one with little economic value and often removed by farmers due to its ability to destroy farmland, could be the key to fighting a deadly bacterium. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found an antibiotic in the Eastern Red Cedar tree that is effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a "superbug" that is resistant to most medications.

22 Feb 2011

Proper wound care may treat skin infections effectively than antibiotics in children with MRSA

When it comes to curing skin infected with the antibiotic-resistant bacterium MRSA, timely and proper wound cleaning and draining may be more important than the choice of antibiotic, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study. The work is published in the March issue of Pediatrics.

21 Feb 2011

Rinsing technique with betadine may reduce infection rate following total knee, hip arthroplasty

A rinsing technique with betadine that costs just a little over one dollar per patient may significantly reduce the infection rate following total knee and hip joint replacement surgery according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers develop new pneumococcal vaccine through novel discovery approach

Pneumococcus accounts for as much as 11 percent of mortality in young children worldwide. While successful vaccines like Prevnar exist, they are expensive and only work against specific pneumococcal strains, with the risk of becoming less effective as new strains emerge.

17 Feb 2011

New study: CHG cloths more effective in reducing risk of hospital-acquired infections

A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found a reduced risk of hospital-acquired infections when using two percent chlorhexidine gluconate cloths for daily bathing instead of soap and water.

16 Feb 2011

Silver treated IV connectors may cause potentially deadly infections

Nationally-acclaimed researcher and award-winning author Dr. Cynthia C. Chernecky warned in a speech at the 11th National Conference on Cancer Nursing Research that silver treated IV connectors could actually cause potentially deadly infections they were supposed to prevent.

11 Feb 2011

Study finds too low drug concentrations used for treatment of children with TB

The realization of medically treating different children uniquely may start with one of the deadliest diseases in existence: tuberculosis.

11 Feb 2011

Rib-X commences Phase 2b trial to assess delafloxacin, linezolid, vancomycin for treatment of ABSSSI

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, an antibiotics company with a broad development-stage pipeline, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate delafloxacin, linezolid and vancomycin for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, including infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

8 Feb 2011

Dermatologists urge athletes to be aware of most common skin infections

Team sports have a long history of fostering cooperation, camaraderie and a healthy competitive spirit among athletes. But the closeness that brings athletes together also can create an environment for a host of contagious skin infections. Now, dermatologists are urging teammates and coaches to be aware of the most common skin conditions caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi that occur in athletes and educating them on how to prevent a widespread outbreak.

5 Feb 2011

CDH first hospital in New England to use Xenex PX-UV disinfection system

Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) today announced it is the first hospital in New England to use the Xenex PX-UV disinfection system to disinfect its patient and operating rooms.

2 Feb 2011

New method to identify communication pathways connecting distant regions within proteins

A School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis biophysicist has developed a new method to identify communication pathways connecting distant regions within proteins.

1 Feb 2011

'Phenotype switching' helps bacteria lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections

A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how the bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research, published by EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrates how 'phenotype switching' enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections.

27 Jan 2011

MRSA screening in ICU patients can save costs for hospitals

Screening patients in the intensive care unit for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus roduces cost savings for the whole hospital, according to a study that used a statistical simulation model published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

27 Jan 2011

Research shows how pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells

A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research, published by EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrates how ‘phenotype switching’ enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections.

26 Jan 2011

Exciton, ULURU sign agreement to develop and market Altrazeal exSALT product

ULURU Inc. announced today that it has signed a Binding Letter of Intent with Exciton Technologies Inc. to develop and market a product that will combine Altrazeal® with Exciton's proprietary exSALT™ Antimicrobial Technology.

20 Jan 2011

Vaccine to prevent MRSA infections after bone and joint surgery

University of Rochester Medical Center orthopaedic scientists are a step closer to developing a vaccine to prevent life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections following bone and joint surgery.

18 Jan 2011

Private rooms in the ICU help reduce hospital infections

A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University has demonstrated that private rooms in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) play a key role in reducing hospital infections like C-difficile. The study, published today in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, also suggests that length of stay would be shorter and this could lead to cost savings to the healthcare system.

12 Jan 2011

IDSA releases MRSA treatment guidelines

Physicians now have help in their battle against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially deadly infection that initially was limited to hospitals and health care facilities but has become a growing problem in healthy children and adults. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has released its first guidelines for the treatment of increasingly common MRSA infections.

7 Jan 2011

ImmuVen to develop T cell receptor proteins for treating MRSA, cancer

Start-up company ImmuVen and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have entered into a license agreement under which ImmuVen will develop modified T cell receptor proteins for the purpose of treating cancer and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

4 Jan 2011

Low levels of microbe-killing molecules improve survival rate of people with CGD

Investigators at the National Institutes of Health have observed that the survival rate of people with a rare immunodeficiency disease called chronic granulomatous disease is greatly improved when even very low levels of microbe-killing molecules are present.

30 Dec 2010