Staphylococcus aureus News and Research

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Staphylococcus aureus is a spherical bacterium (coccus) which on microscopic examination appears in pairs, short chains, or bunched, grape-like clusters. These organisms are Gram-positive. Some strains are capable of producing a highly heat-stable protein toxin that causes illness in humans.

Medicare trims payments to 800 hospitals, citing patient safety incidents

Eight hundred hospitals will be paid less by Medicare this year because of high rates of infections and patient injuries, federal records show.

1 Mar 2019

Scientists demonstrate key role of salt in allergic immune reactions

Salt apparently affects allergic immune reactions. A team working with Prof. Christina Zielinski at the Technical University of Munich has demonstrated in cell cultures that salt leads to the formation of Th2 cells.

21 Feb 2019

Decolonization protocol after hospital discharge can prevent dangerous infections

Hospital patients who have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus can prevent future MRSA infections by following a standard bathing protocol after discharge, according to research results published in the February 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Feb 2019

Study estimates value of investing in antibiotic to reduce repercussion in influenza pandemic

There have been roughly three global pandemic influenza outbreaks each century for the past four hundred years, each of which have resulted in larger numbers of infections and deaths.

13 Feb 2019

Researchers identify genes that make Staphyloccocus bacteria resistant to treatment

A Rutgers-led team has discovered two genes that make some strains of harmful Staphyloccocus bacteria resistant to treatment by copper, a potent and frequently used antibacterial agent.

11 Feb 2019

Novel lysin therapy shows promise for fighting drug-resistant bacteria

Humans are in a constant arms race with infectious bacteria. To kill these disease microbes, we develop powerful antibiotics; and in turn, the bacteria develop resistance against these drugs.

5 Feb 2019

Insect-borne microbes outperform soil bacteria in stopping certain dangerous antibiotic-resistant pathogens

Medicine was transformed in the 20th century by the discovery and development of antibiotics, the vast majority of which came from one source: soil bacteria.

4 Feb 2019

New findings challenge existing strategies for fighting infectious diseases and germs

Do the same laws of biodiversity which apply in nature also apply to our own bodies and homes? If so, current hygiene measures to combat aggressive germs could be, to some extent, counterproductive.

22 Jan 2019

Staphylococcus aureus: Study describes development of resistance to antibiotic for the first time

The Staphylococcus aureus bacterium is one of the commonest pathogens and can even cause sepsis. The new antibiotic dalbavancin is very effective against many bacterial pathogens.

10 Jan 2019

Bacteria on the International Space Station are adapting to survive, not to harm

Mutant bacteria stranded in space by visiting astronauts have been adapting to survive in their new environment, according to a new study.

10 Jan 2019

UC San Diego to conduct first U.S. clinical trial of intravenously administered bacteriophage therapy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted an Investigational New Drug application by physician-scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine to conduct the first U.S. clinical trial of an intravenously administered bacteriophage-based therapy.

9 Jan 2019

New, more effective method to prevent spread of MRSA infections

A research team led by scientists at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health report on a new method to help health officials control outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a life-threatening antibiotic-resistant infection often seen in hospitals.

3 Jan 2019

Multicenter study demonstrates effectiveness, safety of topical antibiotics in NICU babies

A team of doctors led by Karen L. Kotloff, M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, has performed a clinical trial involving multiple hospitals that tested the effectiveness of applying a topical antibiotic known as mupirocin for prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infection in babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

28 Dec 2018

Irish soil contains bacterial strains effective against antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Researchers analyzing soil from Ireland long thought to have medicinal properties have discovered that it contains a previously unknown strain of bacteria which is effective against four of the top six superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics, including MRSA.

27 Dec 2018

Study uncovers how skin ages, loses fat and immunity

Dermal fibroblasts are specialized cells deep in the skin that generate connective tissue and help the skin recover from injury. Some fibroblasts have the ability to convert into fat cells that reside under the dermis, giving the skin a plump, youthful look and producing a peptide that plays a critical role in fighting infections.

27 Dec 2018

Face masks may offer protection against staph bacteria for hog farm workers and their household members

Face masks appear to provide important protection against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria for hog farm workers and for household members to whom they might otherwise transmit the bacteria, according to a study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

14 Dec 2018

Researchers use new methods to optimize treatments for tuberculosis meningitis

Although relatively rare in the United States, and accounting for fewer than 5 percent of tuberculosis cases worldwide, TB of the brain--or tuberculosis meningitis (TBM)--is often deadly, always hard to treat, and a particular threat to young children.

6 Dec 2018

Early gut bacterial colonization may reduce risk of developing eczema

Strains of a bacterium commonly found in skin infections may help to protect against eczema, according to new research in the British Journal of Dermatology.

4 Dec 2018

Improved infection prevention practices could help halt spread of S. aureus in the operating room

Adherence to proven protocols for disinfecting surgeons' hands, patients' skin, and operating room surfaces could help to halt the spread of dangerous Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) pathogens in the operating room and beyond, according to new research published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

27 Nov 2018

Breakthrough achieved in decoding multi-resistant pathogens

Researchers at the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Infection Research have achieved a breakthrough in the decoding of multi-resistant pathogens.

26 Nov 2018