Antibiotic News and Research

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

No direct link between dental procedures and prosthetic joint infection

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the American Dental Association (ADA) found that there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of antibiotics for patients with orthopaedic implants to prevent infections prior to having dental procedures because there is no direct evidence that routine dental procedures cause prosthetic joint infections.

19 Dec 2012

New antibiotic principle for fighting bacterial infections

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have presented a new principle for fighting bacterial infections, in other words, a new type of antibiotic, in the FASEB Journal.

19 Dec 2012

Jagaricin and antifungal drugs: an interview with Prof Christian Hertweck

Most people have already experienced a fungal infection (mycosis) of the outer layer of the skin, athlete’s foot or ringworm. Whereas such infections may be cumbersome and often difficult to cure, usually they are not dangerous. However, in cases where a fungus causes a systemic infection, this is, it infects internal organs such as lungs or brain, the infection may turn into a life-threatening disease. Of course, only pathogenic fungi cause problems and the degree of virulence varies.

18 Dec 2012

Alcohol and antibiotics: an interview with Dr Randall

Contrary to popular belief, there are only a handful of antibiotics that can interact with alcohol to cause unpleasant effects. The two main antibiotics you should definitely avoid drinking alcohol with are metronidazole (brand names include Flagyl) and tinidazole (brand names include Fasigyn).

18 Dec 2012

Less is more when it comes to antibiotics for UTI in men

Research suggests that standard antibiotic prescribing for urinary tract infections in male patients may need to be reviewed, as currently recommended 7–14-day courses appear to be no more effective than shorter ones, and may increase the risk for antimicrobial resistant or Clostridium difficile infection.

17 Dec 2012

Cempra commences CEM-102 Phase 2 trial in prosthetic joint infections

Cempra, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, today announced the initiation of its Phase 2 clinical trial of CEM-102 in patients with prosthetic joint infections (PJIs).

15 Dec 2012

GSK receives FDA approval for raxibacumab to treat inhalational anthrax

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved raxibacumab injection to treat inhalational anthrax, a form of the infectious disease caused by breathing in the spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Raxibacumab also is approved to prevent inhalational anthrax when alternative therapies are not available or not appropriate.

14 Dec 2012

High-dose vitamin D can reduce risk of respiratory tract infections

Treating infection-prone patients over a 12-month period with high doses of vitamin D reduces their risk of developing respiratory tract infection - and consequently their antibiotic requirement. This according to a new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital published in the online scientific journal BMJ Open.

14 Dec 2012

Scientists identify new antibiotic substances in Russian Brown frog's skin

Following up on an ancient Russian way of keeping milk from going sour - by putting a frog in the bucket of milk - scientists have identified a wealth of new antibiotic substances in the skin of the Russian Brown frog. The study appears in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research.

13 Dec 2012

Report analyzes risk factors and infection control strategies taken to prevent spread of NDM1-Kp

As the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections continue to rise around the world, a hospital in Canada detected the presence of New Delhi Metallo---lactamase-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (NDM1-Kp), a multidrug resistant bacteria that is resistant to carbapenems, one of the last lines of antibiotics.

12 Dec 2012

Contact precautions reduce number of visits by healthcare workers and outside visitors

The prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) can help reduce patient morbidity and mortality, but a common prevention effort for patients with hard to treat infections known as contact precautions, can have positive and negative impacts on patient care.

12 Dec 2012

New collaborative model for drug discovery can ensure antibiotics are not lost to resistance

Noting "multidrug-resistant organisms are showing up in top-flight hospitals" around the world, Carl Nathan, chair of the department of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, writes in this New York Times opinion piece, "What makes the rapid loss of antibiotics to drug resistance particularly alarming is that we are failing to make new ones."

12 Dec 2012

Two UT Southwestern researchers to receive 2013 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas (TAMEST) announced that two UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are among the four chosen for the 2013 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards.

12 Dec 2012

Top-line results from Durata Therapeutics’ dalbavancin Phase 3 study on ABSSSI

Durata Therapeutics, Inc. today announced preliminary, top-line results for its DISCOVER 1 ("Dalbavancin for Infections of the Skin COmpared to Vancomycin at an Early Response") Phase 3 study of dalbavancin, which is under investigation for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) caused by susceptible gram-positive bacteria, including MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

11 Dec 2012

Antimicrobial catheters do not significantly reduce UTI risk

Silver alloy-coated antimicrobial catheters do not significantly reduce the risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infection compared with standard catheters in adult hospital patients requiring short-term catheterization, show UK study results.

10 Dec 2012

Researchers track emergence and global spread of healthcare-associated C. difficile

Researchers show that the global epidemic of Clostridium difficile 027/NAP1/BI in the early to mid-2000s was caused by the spread of two different but highly related strains of the bacterium rather than one as was previously thought. The spread and persistence of both epidemics were driven by the acquisition of resistance to a frontline antibiotic.

10 Dec 2012

IDSA guidelines describe best methods for diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections

Of the one million people each year who get hips and knees replaced, as many as 20,000 will get an infection in the new joint, a number that is expected to skyrocket in the next 20 years. Multispecialty physician teams need to work together to reduce disability, death and costs associated with the ever-growing number of these prosthetic joint infections, note the first guidelines on the topic being released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

9 Dec 2012

FDA designates two of Cubist’s Phase 3 antibiotic candidates

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated two of the company's Phase 3 antibiotic candidates, CXA-201 (ceftolozane/tazobactam) and CB-315, as Qualified Infectious Disease Products (QIDP).

6 Dec 2012

Less is more when it comes to antibiotics for UTI in men

6 Dec 2012

Copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes in antibiotic-resistant bacteria

New research from the University of Southampton has shown that copper can prevent horizontal transmission of genes, which has contributed to the increasing number of antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide.

5 Dec 2012