Acinetobacter News and Research

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Breastfeeding habits barely change milk’s microbiome, study reveals

A study shows that breastfeeding frequency and duration do not significantly alter the human milk microbiome, highlighting other influencing factors.

4 Jun 2025

New family of antibiotics derived from the body's own proteins

A team of scientists led by the UAB has identified a new type of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found in human proteins that are capable of selectively eliminating multidrug-resistant bacteria, particularly of the gram-negative type, responsible for serious hospital acquired infections.

4 Jun 2025

Most deadly drug-resistant infections in poorer countries go untreated, study shows

A new modelling study reveals that only 7% of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative (CRGN) bacterial infections in eight LMICs receive effective antibiotic treatment. This stark undertreatment poses a major threat in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

7 May 2025

Sweetener saccharin revives old antibiotics by breaking bacterial defences

Saccharin destabilizes bacterial membranes and interferes with DNA replication, causing lysis and impairing virulence traits. The sweetener also re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant pathogens to antibiotics and disrupts stubborn biofilms.

3 Apr 2025

New antibiotic-resistant superbug discovered in Malaysian hospital

A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant 'superbug' that causes severe disease has been found circulating in a Malaysian hospital - posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals.

1 Apr 2025

New peptide antibiotic stops bacteria by binding where no drug has before

Researchers discovered lariocidin, a lasso peptide antibiotic that kills multidrug-resistant bacteria by binding a novel ribosomal site.

27 Mar 2025

Hospital sink drains found to harbor dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria

We hope to be cured when we stay in hospital. But too often, we acquire new infections there. Such 'healthcare-associated infections' (HAI) are a growing problem worldwide, taking up an estimated 6% of global hospital budgets.

14 Feb 2025

Modified darobactin offers hope for combatting antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Antibacterial drugs are important for treating infections. But increasingly, bacterial resistance to current drugs - so they don't work well, or even at all - means new ones are urgently needed.

21 Nov 2024

Zinc deficiency linked to increased risk of lung infection

Dietary zinc deficiency promotes lung infection by Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria - a leading cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia, according to a new study published Nov. 15 in the journal Nature Microbiology.

15 Nov 2024

New antibiotic-resistant bacteria strain may be spreading across Asia

A virulent new strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that causes severe disease could be spreading widely across Asia - posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals.

7 Nov 2024

UF Health scientists receive major grant to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria

University of Florida Health scientists exploring how combinations of antibiotics can fight resistant bacteria have been awarded an $11.8 million grant for work that could help save the tens of thousands of lives lost yearly to infections that are increasingly plaguing humanity.

17 Oct 2024

WHO report highlights the role of vaccines in reducing antibiotic use

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that vaccines against 24 pathogens could reduce the number of antibiotics needed by 22% or 2.5 billion defined daily doses globally every year, supporting worldwide efforts to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

10 Oct 2024

Monoclonal antibodies could help provide an answer to antimicrobial resistance

Monoclonal antibodies – treatments developed by cloning a cell that makes an antibody – could help provide an answer to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance, say scientists.

16 Sep 2024

Human gut microbiome: A source of new antibiotic peptides

Researchers identified 323 peptide-based antimicrobials from the human microbiome, with 71% showing significant antibacterial activity, and the lead peptide, prevotellin-2, matching the efficacy of polymyxin B in both in vitro and in vivo models.

25 Aug 2024

Groundbreaking method dmSLAY improves antimicrobial peptide effectiveness and safety

Researchers developed a high-throughput method, dmSLAY, to assess thousands of AMP variants, combining it with machine learning to enhance membrane selectivity and reduce toxicity.

1 Aug 2024

Nasal microbiota composition predicts sepsis with high accuracy in ICU settings

The nasal microbiota of intensive care unit (ICU) patients effectively distinguishes sepsis from non-septic cases and outperforms analyzing the gut microbiota to predict sepsis, according to a new study published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

12 Jun 2024

Triple combination of antibiotics could be the new arsenal against drug-resistant bacteria

In the ongoing battle against antibiotic resistance, a new study published in Engineering by Zhuoren Ling's research team unveils a promising triple combination of antibiotics that significantly expands our arsenal against drug-resistant bacteria.

4 Jun 2024

WHO updates Bacterial Priority Pathogens List to combat antimicrobial resistance

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its updated Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) 2024, featuring 15 families of antibiotic-resistant bacteria grouped into critical, high and medium categories for prioritization.

20 May 2024

Purdue researcher receives $2.4 million NIH grant to combat antimicrobial resistance in lung infections

Qi "Tony" Zhou, a researcher in Purdue University's College of Pharmacy has received a $2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fight lung infections that have established a resistance to antimicrobial drugs.

6 May 2024

Hospital toilets harbor multi-drug resistant "superbugs", study finds

Pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including multi-drug resistant "superbugs" have been found on the floors, ceilings, door handles and other surfaces of hospital toilets in the UK, with patient toilets the worst affected, the ESCMID Global Congress (formerly ECCMID) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) will hear.

29 Apr 2024