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African bacterium resists almost all drugs

It looks like it’s time to pay the piper. The first extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strain of Salmonella typhimurium, called ST313 sublineage II.1, has cropped up in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This fails to respond to any of the antibiotics that are commonly used in the DRC, except for ciprofloxacin. And to make things worse, one sample has been isolated that shows incomplete response even to this last drug.

22 Sep 2019

Salmonella responsible for bloodstream infections in sub-Saharan Africa exhibits extensive drug resistance

The first extensively drug-resistant strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, a pathogen which is responsible for millions of bloodstream infections per year in sub-Saharan Africa, have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

19 Sep 2019

New book shows how marginalized urban communities address environmental health disparities

A new book details the insights learned from communities that came together to overcome long-standing and seemingly insurmountable environmental public health challenges.

18 Sep 2019

Antibiotic resistance in dolphins mirrors disturbing trend in humans

Antibiotic resistance in bottlenose dolphins shows that up to 88% of pathogenic organisms in this species is resistant to one or more antibiotics. This finding offers very useful insights into the identical phenomenon in humans. This species is termed a sentinel species, which means it reflects environmental risks to humans in advance of their occurrence in humans.

16 Sep 2019

New device to measure ethanol's deadly twin

Methanol is sometimes referred to as ethanol's deadly twin. While the latter is the intoxicating ingredient in wine, beer and schnapps, the former is a chemical that becomes highly toxic when metabolized by the human body.

16 Sep 2019

Genetic engineering could open possibilities for patients with Parkinson’s disease

People with Parkinson’s disease experience loss of dopamine-producing brain cells, leading to tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability, the primary symptoms of the disease.

11 Sep 2019

It’s safe to feed raw food to pets, finds new study

A large multinational study shows that pet owners don’t think feeding raw food increases the risk of infection to household members. Raw food includes all uncooked meat and other parts of a dead animal. In fact, an infection in humans could be traced to raw pet food in just 0.24% of all surveyed households.

9 Sep 2019

WHO: One person dies every 40 seconds from suicide

The number of countries with national suicide prevention strategies has increased in the five years since the publication of WHO's first global report on suicide, said the World Health Organization in the lead-up to World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September.

9 Sep 2019

Paracetamol poisoning soars over the past decade in Australia

Paracetamol is one of the most common painkillers and antipyretics used in Australia. However, a new study hopes for the restriction in the access to the drug, due to a serious spike in paracetamol poisonings.

2 Sep 2019

Simple smartphone-based method for detecting extremely low levels of norovirus

A little bit of norovirus - the highly infectious microbe that causes about 20 million cases of food poisoning in the United States each year - goes a long way. Just 10 particles of the virus can cause illness in humans.

27 Aug 2019

Study explores motives, experiences of young people using New Psychoactive Substances

A research study into New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) - formerly referred to as 'legal highs' - provides new evidence about why young people were attracted to the drugs, and the health and social risks associated with taking them.

20 Aug 2019

Is higher fluoride intake in pregnancy affecting kids’ IQ?

A new study suggests that fluoride consumption at higher levels in pregnancy could be linked to a decline in IQ by a few points in the children. Experts disagree on the acceptability of this finding, which has stirred up questions about fluoridation of public drinking water supplies.

20 Aug 2019

Hookah smoking not a safe option, finds new study

With the decline in cigarette smoking, students have taken to other ‘safer’ forms of smoking, especially hookah smoking. However, a pioneering study shows that a single puff from a hookah exposes the smoker to as high a level of certain toxins as an entire cigarette does!

13 Aug 2019

Researchers discover antibiotic that could prevent diarrhea caused by C. difficile

In Australia, more than 10,000 patients a year acquire a serious bacterial infection called Clostridioides difficile, often while in hospital, resulting in the death of up to 300 people per year.

13 Aug 2019

Bedfont included in the European Business Awards' ‘Ones to Watch’ list for 2nd year in a row

Family med-tech business, Bedfont Scientific Ltd.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 12 Aug 2019

Genetically tweaking gut bacteria reduces risk of colorectal cancer in mice finds study

Researchers have found that editing of the genes of the bacteria present in the guts of mice could help reduce the inflammation and associated risk of colorectal cancers.

31 Jul 2019

Rutgers expert discusses how to stay safe as 'flesh-eating bacteria' move into new waters

Infections caused by the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus – known as "flesh eating" bacteria – are becoming more common in northern waters, whose surface temperatures are rising due to climate change.

30 Jul 2019

Whole-genome sequencing could transform salmonella detection

Salmonella is among the most common organisms responsible for symptomatic and serious food poisoning. Methods to detect this have evolved from crude microscopic identification to serotype detection.

29 Jul 2019

Empa researchers aim to fight unwanted biofilms

Some of us who are hospitalized are feeling worse rather than better. On average, seven percent of all patients in industrial countries are affected by "nosocomial" infections. In intensive care units, the risk increases even more. This can result in serious illnesses and life-threatening blood poisoning.

17 Jul 2019

Uranium toxicity might have caused obesity and diabetes in Kuwait, finds new study

According to a new research report, the extremely high prevalence of diabetes and obesity in the Gulf nation of Kuwait might be linked to the very high levels of uranium in these individuals. This in turn could be associated with the large amounts of depleted uranium dumped here in the form of US munitions during the Gulf war of 1990-91.

9 Jul 2019