Antibiotic News and Research

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

New drug-capture device can soak up chemotherapy drugs to limit toxicity

Doctors have a powerful arsenal of cancer-fighting chemotherapy drugs to choose from, though a key challenge is to better target these drugs to kill tumors while limiting their potentially harmful side effects.

8 Jun 2016

Screening for syphilis in persons at risk for infection provides substantial benefit

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has found convincing evidence that screening for syphilis infection in asymptomatic, nonpregnant persons at increased risk for infection provides substantial benefit. The report appears in the June 7 issue of JAMA.

8 Jun 2016

New immunization approach may one day wipe out pneumonia, meningitis

A new vaccine allows pneumonia-causing bacteria to colonize inside the body, springing into action only if the bacteria pose a threat.

8 Jun 2016

Innovative RapifleX MALDI-TOF/TOF showcased by Bruker

At the 64th ASMS Conference, Bruker introducesrapifleX™, the highest performance MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer, which had been shown as work-in-progress to early adopters at HUPO 2015.

From Bruker Daltonics 7 Jun 2016

New systems-based strategy may help accelerate TB drug discovery

The rise in multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extremely drug resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is becoming a major cause of global health concern for treating tuberculosis, which affects a third of the global population.

7 Jun 2016

Researchers examine pan-genome of deadly Staph bacteria

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are the leading cause of skin, soft tissue and several other types of infections. Staph is also a global public threat due to the rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA.

7 Jun 2016

Bacteriophage combinations show therapeutic potential in reducing C. difficile infections

A new University of Leicester study has confirmed the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage combinations to treat highly infectious bacteria C. difficile infections (CDI) while retaining a healthy gut.

6 Jun 2016

Cigarette smoke promotes bacteria colonization, immune invasion

The mouth is one of the "dirtiest" parts of the body, home to millions of germs. But puffing cigarettes can increase the likelihood that certain bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis will not only set up camp but will build a fortified city in the mouth and fight against the immune system.

1 Jun 2016

Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly comes to end after approving many new resolutions

The Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly closed today after approving new resolutions on WHO's Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors; the Sustainable Development Goals; the International Health Regulations; tobacco control; road traffic deaths and injuries; nutrition; HIV, hepatitis and STIs; mycetoma; research and development; access to medicines and integrated health services.

31 May 2016

OIST scientists reveal how big protein complex inside E. coli cells divide and multiply

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria that live all around and inside of us. Most E. coli are harmless, but some strains can cause illness, and can even, in extreme cases, be deadly. With recent outbreaks of E. coli around the world, there is a fear of acquiring an infection from these bacteria.

28 May 2016

Superbug resistant to last resort antibiotic identified in the US

Researchers have identified a transferrable gene for colistin resistance in the U.S. that may mean the “end of the road” for antibiotics.

27 May 2016

Phage therapy in conjunction with antibiotics could help treat dangerous bacterial infection

Yale researchers were fishing for a new weapon against antibiotic resistance and found one floating in a Connecticut pond, they report May 26, 2016 in the journal Scientific Reports.

26 May 2016

OIE’s new strategy aims to provide necessary tools to fight antimicrobial resistance more effectively

At the 84th General Session of the World Assembly of National Delegates, the OIE presented to its Members, and proposed for adoption, the basic principles of its new strategy to fight antimicrobial resistance.

26 May 2016

Alzheimer’s research raises questions on the role of infection

A new study has shown that A-beta (Aβ), the protein that forms β-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, is a normal part of the immune system - raising questions about the role infection plays in Alzheimer’s disease and whether current treatment strategies should be changed.

26 May 2016

First clinical trial to study use of Chinese Herbal Medicines in treating RUTIs

Researchers at the University of Southampton are to study the use of Chinese Herbal Medicines in treating recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs), in the first clinical trial of its kind in the UK.

25 May 2016

Understanding structure of HIV-1 protease vital to development of next-generation HIV drugs

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the world’s most serious health and development challenges.

24 May 2016

Harvard researchers create new, simplified platform for antibiotic discovery

Harvard researchers have created a new, greatly simplified, platform for antibiotic discovery that may go a long way to solving the crisis of antibiotic resistance.

23 May 2016

Specific monocyte immune cells serve as link between gut bacteria and the brain

A special kind of immune cell serves as an intermediary between gut bacteria and the brain. Dr. Susanne Wolf of the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association discovered this in tests on mice and published her findings in the journal Cell Reports.

20 May 2016

New drug that combines methicillin with polymer BPEI can combat MRSA

A University of Oklahoma team of chemists has developed a new antibiotic formulation to fight the sometimes deadly staph infection caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus or MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant infectious bacteria.

19 May 2016

New Quick Reference Guide set to improve antibiotic prescribing

A Tasmanian initiative to provide a ‘Quick Reference Guide’ to antibiotic prescribing in the community has been embraced by general practitioners (GPs) and is set to improve prescribing, delegates at the National Medicines Symposium in Canberra have heard.

19 May 2016