Antibiotic News and Research

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Antibiotics are drugs used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms.

Rutgers researchers to explore ways for tackling emerging fungal infections

In recent years, hospitals nationwide have been reporting an increase in life-threatening illnesses resulting from a deadly fungal infection caused by the yeast Candida auris that can enter the bloodstream. This yeast is difficult to identify and often does not respond to commonly used antifungal drugs, leading to high mortality.

23 Oct 2017

Scientists develop novel antimicrobials to tackle multidrug-resistant bacteria

Scientists at the University of Surrey in collaboration with research partners at the University of Sheffield and University of Würzburg, Germany, have developed novel antimicrobials, which could be used to treat infections, caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

23 Oct 2017

British biotech calls for faster regulatory process to tackle AMR threat

Representing small and medium-sized companies, Ian Staples, Chief Executive of British biotech Matoke Holdings, called on the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee to help ensure that life-saving drugs can get through the regulatory process faster. The Committee was taking evidence as part of its ‘Life Sciences and the Industrial Strategy’ inquiry.

20 Oct 2017

Portable scanner can measure limb disfigurement easily in patients with elephantiasis

An estimated 120 million people worldwide are infected with lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic, mosquito-borne disease that can cause major swelling and deformity of the legs, a condition known as elephantiasis.

16 Oct 2017

Endogenous infection marker can help guide antibiotic use

The endogenous infection marker procalcitonin can help to guide the use of antibiotics when treating infections. The course of antibiotic therapy is shortened, and its side effects and mortality rate also decrease, as researchers from the University of Basel and other colleagues report in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

16 Oct 2017

Researchers identify several previously unknown antibiotic resistance genes

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have found several previously unknown genes that make bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics.

16 Oct 2017

C-section kids could be at greater risk of being overweight due to differences in their gut bacteria

Researchers from NYU School of Medicine studied the effects of Caesarean section on the weights of the offspring in laboratory mice and found that they are more at risk of becoming overweight and obese.

12 Oct 2017

Study examines effects of removing behavioral interventions on inappropriate antibiotic prescribing

In the 12 months after removing behavioral interventions, inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections increased relative to control practices, according to a study published by JAMA.

11 Oct 2017

Antibiotics before surgery do not increase risk for postoperative antibiotic-resistant infections

Surgical patients who receive antibiotics before certain types of low-risk operations are not at an increased risk for antibiotic-resistant infections immediately after their procedures, according to results from a large-scale study conducted by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, New York City.

10 Oct 2017

Trial reveals value of tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis in HIV-infected people

Long-term follow-up in the ANRS TEMPRANO trial confirms that tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis in HIV-infected people is more than ever relevant in resource-limited countries.

10 Oct 2017

Patients with documented penicillin allergy more likely to develop surgical site infections, study finds

A study by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators found that surgical patients believed to be allergic to penicillin were significantly more likely to develop surgical site infections than were patients with no documented allergy, a difference totally attributable to the alternative antibiotics used to prevent such infections.

9 Oct 2017

Antibiotics prescribed by dentists may contribute to serious C. diff infections

Antibiotics prescribed by dentists may contribute to the growing problem of Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a serious and potentially deadly infection that causes severe diarrhea, suggests research presented at IDWeek 2017. And many of those antibiotics are likely unnecessary, researchers note.

6 Oct 2017

Study highlights advantages and challenges of integrating GP service in hospital ED

A new study from the University of Liverpool provides evidence that locating a General Practitioner in a hospital emergency department can reduce waiting times and admissions, but may increases antibiotic prescribing.

6 Oct 2017

Drinking plenty of water may reduce risk of UTIs in women prone to infection

Drinking an additional three pints of water a day may keep the urinary tract infection (UTI) away - at least for women who are prone - suggests a study being presented at IDWeek 2017.

6 Oct 2017

Smart bandage could quickly heal chronic wounds or battlefield injuries

Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Harvard Medical School and MIT have designed a smart bandage that could eventually heal chronic wounds or battlefield injuries with every fiber of its being.

5 Oct 2017

NIH awards $2.3 million grant to Umass Amherst microbiologist for TB research

The National Institutes of Health announced today that microbiologist Sloan Siegrist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received a five-year, $2.3 million National Institutes of Health New Innovator Award, which supports "unusually innovative research from early career investigators," to study the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB).

5 Oct 2017

Light-activated nanoparticles can provide crucial boost in effectiveness for antibiotics

Light-activated nanoparticles, also known as quantum dots, can provide a crucial boost in effectiveness for antibiotic treatments used to combat drug-resistant superbugs such as E. coli and Salmonella, new University of Colorado Boulder research shows.

4 Oct 2017

New test identifies antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 30 minutes

The discovery of antibiotics in the early part of the 20th century changed modern medicine. Simple infections that previously killed people became easy to treat. Antibiotics' ability to stave off infections made possible routine surgeries, organ transplants, and chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.

4 Oct 2017

Symprove could offer safe and efficient solution to control pathogenic bacteria

Leading food technology company, Symprove Ltd, has demonstrated with three breakthrough studies that their formula has the unique ability to have an antagonistic effect on pathogenic bacteria such as C. difficile, Escherichia coli (AIEC), Shigella sonnei and MRSA.

4 Oct 2017

Study identifies inadvertent consequences of sepsis care programs

Healthcare experts have long known the benefits of integrated sepsis care programs, yet less information has been published on potential unintended consequences of these programs.

3 Oct 2017