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Research finds decrease in rate of C. difficile infections in hospitals across Canada

Rates of C. difficile infections have decreased 36% in hospitals across Canada, although the virulent NAP1 strain associated with severe illness and deaths is the most common strain, according to research published in CMAJ.

25 Jun 2018

Safety protocol violations in health care: Researchers explore ways to avoid infection transmission

The medical community is losing its biggest gun in fighting infection, antibiotics. Researchers are turning to safety protocols to reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms, like Clostridium difficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and influenza. The health care environment, however, may be setting health care workers up for failure.

12 Jun 2018

Faeces donors do it out of willingness not money - study

Healthy adults who have a good constitution and have a healthy heart are being called forth to donate samples of their faeces to science. The donors would be screened rigorously before they can be included and would be compensated modestly for their donations say researchers.

6 Jun 2018

Germ-fighting robot gives boost to hospital's infection control program

A germ-fighting robot that uses pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to sanitize rooms at Trinity Hospital is giving a boost to the hospital's infection control program.

5 Jun 2018

Research may pave way for new C. diff antitoxins and anti-cancer drugs

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and Harvard University have discovered how the Clostridium difficile toxin B recognizes the human Frizzled protein, the receptor it uses to invade intestinal cells and lead to deadly gastrointestinal infections.

14 May 2018

Walnut consumption impacts gut microbiota and offers many health benefits

Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer.

4 May 2018

Researchers identify how smaller hospitals can reduce inappropriate use of antibiotics

Researchers at Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City have completed a study identifying how community hospitals with fewer than 200 beds can develop antibiotic stewardship programs that work to prevent the growth of antibiotic-resistant organisms, or "superbugs," which are becoming more common and deadly.

30 Apr 2018

Probiotics may be safe, low-cost prevention tool for Clostridium difficile infections

Probiotics may be a relatively safe, simple, and low-cost solution for preventing Clostridium difficile infections in hospital settings, according to two studies published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

26 Apr 2018

Contact precautions do not limit spread of drug-resistant bacteria in ICUs

Contact precautions, used in addition to the standard precautions, the basic level of infection control applied to all patients, did not limit or prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria in non-intensive care unit hospital wards, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

23 Apr 2018

Exposure to toxin found in sheep may be linked to development of MS

Exposure to a toxin primarily found in sheep could be linked to the development of multiple sclerosis in humans, new research suggests.

23 Apr 2018

NYC mice carry deadly bacteria and viruses

Almost all types of housing and living facilities house mice. Researchers have found in their year-long study on New York City mice that many of these carry on them deadly bacteria and viruses. These bacteria could be resistant to antibiotics and thus they may cause life threatening infections in humans.

18 Apr 2018

Single FMT enema produces sustained and significant improvements in cognitive function

A single treatment using an optimized, targeted form of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) produces sustained clinical and cognitive improvements, according to the results of a long-term follow-up of patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) who had participated in a short-term study.

16 Apr 2018