Antibiotic News and Research

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

University of Copenhagen researchers discover Achilles heel of bacteria

Drug resistant bacteria are fast becoming one of the big worries of the 21 century. Now researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a previously unknown weakness; an "Achilles heel", of bacteria. Their discovery, a crucial step in bacteria's energy metabolism, may be the first step in developing an entirely novel form of antibiotics

22 Mar 2016

Researchers disprove previously assumed behavior of macrophage immune cells

What happens when macrophage immune cells are activated in the course of an inflammation to combat pathogens such as bacteria or viruses? Researchers of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg pursued this very question. The researchers discovered that the immune cells behave differently from what was previously assumed. Their metabolism upholds the production of antimicrobial substances and fatty acids during activation. In this way, they deliver important resources for the immune responses they trigger.

21 Mar 2016

UCMR researchers discover compounds that can attenuate virulence of Listeria monocytogenes

Scientists at Umea Centre for Microbial Research have discovered chemical compounds which are able to attenuate the virulence of the bacterial human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Their findings are published today in the high impact journal Cell Chemical Biology.

19 Mar 2016

Antibiotic treatment for mild appendicitis does not increase risk for complications

Using antibiotics as the primary treatment for mild appendicitis does not increase the risk for complications at least in the first year. But other considerations must also be taken into account, say researchers.

19 Mar 2016

Researchers describe antibiotic resistance as either selfish or co-operative

Trace concentrations of antibiotic, such as those found in sewage outfalls, are enough to enable bacteria to keep antibiotic resistance, new research from the University of York has found. The concentrations are much lower than previously anticipated, and help to explain why antibiotic resistance is so persistent in the environment.

15 Mar 2016

Researchers discover potentially-pathogenic bacteria in water supply pipes

The human microbiome, a diverse collection of microorganisms living inside us and on our skin, has attracted considerable attention for its role in a broad range of human health issues. Now, researchers are discovering that the built environment also has a microbiome, which includes a community of potentially-pathogenic bacteria living inside water supply pipes.

15 Mar 2016

One-fourth of seniors acquire new superbugs during hospital stay

One in four seniors is bringing along stowaways from the hospital to their next stop: superbugs on their hands.Moreover, seniors who go to a nursing home or other post-acute care facility will continue to acquire new superbugs during their stay, according to findings made by University of Michigan researchers published today in a JAMA Internal Medicine research letter.

15 Mar 2016

Newly developed biodegradable polymer grafts can help repair the spine

Remember those colorful "grow capsules" that blossom into animal-shaped sponges in water? Using a similar idea, scientists have developed biodegradable polymer grafts that, when surgically placed in damaged vertebrae, should grow to be just the right size and shape to fix the spinal column.

14 Mar 2016

Maternal bacterial infections affect fetal brain anatomy and cognitive functioning after birth

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered how pieces of bacterial cell wall cross the placenta and enter developing neurons, altering fetal brain anatomy and cognitive functioning after birth. The study appears today in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.

10 Mar 2016

Startling lack of resistance genes discovered in intensively-farmed beef

In the first study to track antibiotic resistance in intensively-farmed beef, scientists discovered a "startling" lack of resistance genes in meat.Meanwhile, in soil and faeces samples from cattle pens they found genes resistant to a powerful "last resort" class of antibiotics called carpabemens that aren't used in the livestock industry. These genes may have jumped from humans or companion animals to livestock, or could even be present at low levels in the wider environment.

9 Mar 2016

Valley Hospital, Holy Name Medical Center collaborate to defeat C. difficile

The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ, are collaborating to defeat a common foe: a dangerous drug-resistant bacterium called Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile.

9 Mar 2016

Researchers discover how E. coli bacteria adhere to urinary tract

Almost every second woman suffers from a bladder infection at some point in her life. Also men are affected by cystitis, though less frequently. In eighty percent of the cases, it is caused by the intestinal bacterium E. coli.

8 Mar 2016

Bacteria develops multi-drug tolerance with daily antibiotic doses, reveal KU Leuven researchers

Antibiotics do not easily eradicate the gut bacteria Escherichia coli, as some bacteria survive treatment in a dormant state. Once treatment is stopped, these dormant cells can become active again and recolonize the body.

8 Mar 2016

Sheffield Hallam scientists developing technology to identify risk of caesarean wound infections

Women who have a high body mass index (BMI) are most at risk of developing an infection after a caesarean section, which presents problems for new mothers. But, scientists at Sheffield Hallam's Centre for Health and Social Care Research believe thermal images taken around the area of the wound could detect signs of potential infection just 48 hours after surgery.

7 Mar 2016

Antibiotic resistance: A serious threat to human health

The World Health Organization has identified antibiotic resistance as a serious threat to human health across the world. The Journal of Environmental Quality recently published a special section titled "Antibiotics in Agroecosystems" to address the science of this important topic.

4 Mar 2016

Preoperative hip and knee injections may increase risk for infection

Injections received in the months prior to total knee (TKR) or total hip replacement (THR) surgery may increase the risk for infection and related complications, according to two studies--among the largest conducted on this topic--presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

3 Mar 2016

UCLA study finds better method to improve recovery, reduce spread of MRSA infection

UCLA researchers have found that doctors can use a specific antibiotic in addition to surgically draining an abscess to give people a better chance of recovery. The discovery turns on its head the long-held notion that surgical drainage alone is sufficient for treating abscesses.

3 Mar 2016

First-ever research programme launched to tackle superbugs

To meet the challenge of the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria, national charity ‘Antibiotic Research UK is commissioning the first ever research programme to screen antibiotic resistance breakers against antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria.

2 Mar 2016

Blueberry Therapeutics set to create safe, effective nanomedicines to tackle unmet healthcare needs

Blueberry Therapeutics Ltd, a leading pharmaceutical company focused on the major medical problems of inflammation and infection, are exploring the anti-microbial agenda through the development of new anti-fungal drugs and treatments to tackle this important unmet healthcare need.

2 Mar 2016

"Neoehrlichiosis" Internationally Diagnosed And Successfully Treated In Patients Without Immunodeficiency For The First Time

The intercellular bacteria "Candidatus Neoehrlichia", as e.g. Borrelia, can be transferred by ticks. Approx. 4.2 % of indigenous ticks are infected with this rarely explored bacterium which, until today, has been exclusively identified as pathogenic bacterium in patients with an impairment of the immune system, such as in case of leukaemia, rheumatism or after organ transplantation.

1 Mar 2016

Antibiotic News and Research

Further Reading

University of Copenhagen researchers discover Achilles heel of bacteria

Researchers disprove previously assumed behavior of macrophage immune cells

UCMR researchers discover compounds that can attenuate virulence of Listeria monocytogenes

Antibiotic treatment for mild appendicitis does not increase risk for complications

Researchers describe antibiotic resistance as either selfish or co-operative

Researchers discover potentially-pathogenic bacteria in water supply pipes

One-fourth of seniors acquire new superbugs during hospital stay

Newly developed biodegradable polymer grafts can help repair the spine

Maternal bacterial infections affect fetal brain anatomy and cognitive functioning after birth

Startling lack of resistance genes discovered in intensively-farmed beef

Valley Hospital, Holy Name Medical Center collaborate to defeat C. difficile

Researchers discover how E. coli bacteria adhere to urinary tract

Bacteria develops multi-drug tolerance with daily antibiotic doses, reveal KU Leuven researchers

Sheffield Hallam scientists developing technology to identify risk of caesarean wound infections

Antibiotic resistance: A serious threat to human health

Preoperative hip and knee injections may increase risk for infection

UCLA study finds better method to improve recovery, reduce spread of MRSA infection

First-ever research programme launched to tackle superbugs

Blueberry Therapeutics set to create safe, effective nanomedicines to tackle unmet healthcare needs

"Neoehrlichiosis" Internationally Diagnosed And Successfully Treated In Patients Without Immunodeficiency For The First Time

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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