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Study yields insights into shifts in epidemiology of multi-drug resistant organisms

A first-of-its-kind study of 900,000 hospital admissions from an integrated health system has yielded insights into shifts in the epidemiology of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) in the community.

27 Oct 2016

Study estimates impact of six common healthcare-associated infections

A study published today by PLOS Medicine, estimates the combined burden of six healthcare-associated infections as being higher than that of diseases such as influenza, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis together.

19 Oct 2016

New study focuses on preserving microbe-fighting power of antibiotics

Of the 10 million prescriptions for antibiotics that emergency department physicians in the U.S. write each year, many are prescribed for known viral infections such as acute bronchitis and upper respiratory infections, which do not respond to antibiotics.

7 Oct 2016

Penn Medicine awarded CDC grant to develop new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been awarded more than $1 million by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance.

6 Oct 2016

Study shows how common intestinal microbe protects the gut from attack by harmful bacteria

Antibiotics save millions of lives. But their tendency to kill helpful and harmful bacteria alike, coupled with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, means that they are not without their downside.

4 Oct 2016

Study examines fecal microbiota transplantation as treatment option for recurrent C. difficile infections

Patients suffering from infection of the bowel with the Gram-positive bacillus Clostridium difficile often have recurrent infections despite antibiotic treatment.

30 Sep 2016

High levels of dietary zinc increase susceptibility to Clostridium difficile infections

Too much dietary zinc increases susceptibility to infection by Clostridium difficile - "C. diff" - the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections.

26 Sep 2016

Ancient remedy to treat severe diarrhea becomes effective therapy for multiple recurrent CDI

Modern medicine is taking a new look at an ancient remedy for severe diarrhea as a novel approach to treat a serious gastrointestinal infection.

22 Sep 2016

TSRI researchers find potential new weapon to combat C. difficile infections

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a potential new weapon against Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that causes hundreds of thousands of severe intestinal infections in the U.S. every year and is frequently fatal.

16 Sep 2016

Scientists use insect model to reveal therapeutic potential of C. difficile bacteriophages

University of Leicester scientists have previously identified the potential of using a bacteriophage cocktail to eradicate Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and in this research, using an insect model, they show that their prophylactic use can prevent infection forming in the first place.

12 Sep 2016

Household transmission of C. difficile to children, pets may be cause for community-related infections

Household transmission of Clostridium difficile to pets and children may be a source of community-associated C. difficile infections according to findings from a new study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

30 Aug 2016

ESCMID releases new guidelines on best practices to detect C. difficile infections

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases has just released new guidelines on best practice methods to diagnose Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

26 Aug 2016

Penicillin allergy testing: an interview with Dr. Eric Macy

Penicillin was one of the first antibiotics developed and has saved millions of lives. First used in the early 1940s, penicillin is still one of the most widely used and least toxic family of antibiotics.

17 Aug 2016

Botulinum toxins may cause remote effects by moving between neurons

The botulinum toxins are among the deadliest substances on Earth, and two specific toxins — including the popular drug Botox — have multiple uses for treating many neuromuscular conditions, including frown lines, disabling muscle spasms and migraine headaches.

5 Aug 2016

IDSA/ATS recommends shorter courses of antibiotics for patients with hospital-acquired, ventilator-associated pneumonia

Hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia– which account for 20 to 25 percent of hospital-acquired infections – should be treated with shorter courses of antibiotics than they typically are, according to new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and American Thoracic Society and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

14 Jul 2016

Fecal transplants may help treat home and hospital-acquired scourge

Fecal transplants are increasingly being used as the treatment of last resort for certain infections in the human gut and have had remarkable success treating the nursing home and hospital-acquired scourge, Clostridium difficile colitis, an infectious diarrhea that often follows antibiotic treatment.

13 Jul 2016

Novel suite of computer algorithms can accurately predict behavior of gut microbiome

A team of investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the University of Massachusetts have developed a suite of computer algorithms that can accurately predict the behavior of the microbiome - the vast collection of microbes living on and inside the human body.

28 Jun 2016

Transplanted human stool may offer treatment hope for ulcerative colitis patients

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) may improve their symptoms with a transplantation of healthy stool from donors, according to Australian researchers. The findings were presented by Dr Sudarchan Paramsothy MD, a gastroenterologist from the University of New South Wales, Australia at the Digestive Disease Week conference in San Diego, California between the 21st to 24th May.

24 May 2016

New frozen faecal bank increases chances of curing a chronic health condition

A new frozen faecal bank that could save hundreds of lives and dramatically improve the quality of life of many more has been established at a Portsmouth hospital.

20 May 2016

Ramizol drug shows promise in treatment of Clostridium difficile infections

A scientific paper released today in the Journal of Antibiotics presents the pre-clinical development of Ramizol, a first generation drug belonging to a new class of styrylbenzene antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action.

19 May 2016