Antibiotic News and Research

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

Technique called phylogenetic footprinting reveals new gene regulation system

By comparing 140 sequenced bacterial genomes, researchers have uncovered a system for regulating genes essential to bacterial replication - and they did it solely by computer keystrokes and mouse clicks.

27 Jun 2005

Tsunami leaves patients with unusual infections

According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, the December tsunami which left more than 200 000 people dead or missing in Asia and Africa, appears to have caused some unusual lung and sinus infections and also a paralysing brain infection.

27 Jun 2005

Antibiotics not effective for many coughs

In a study of more than 500 patients who were suffering from acute bronchitis or pharyngitis it was found that whether or not antibiotics were prescribed, the irritating bouts of coughing still continued for an average of almost 12 days after the visit to the doctor.

22 Jun 2005

Antibiotics show little benefit for uncomplicated lower respiratory tract infections

Patients with uncomplicated lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchitis, who were given antibiotics had little difference in symptom relief compared to patients who did not receive antibiotics, according to a study in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

21 Jun 2005

Most children with infective conjunctivitis (pinkeye) do not need treatment with an antibiotic

One in eight school children have an episode of conjunctivitis every year. This amounts to more than 1 million episodes in the UK and more than 5 million in the USA. Diagnosis of the condition is usually straight forward but doctors find difficulty in differentiating a viral cause from a bacterial cause.

21 Jun 2005

Australian community-based intervention program to successfully reduce antibiotics use for colds and flu

The South Australian Health Department is leading a community-based intervention program to successfully reduce antibiotics use for colds and flu.

21 Jun 2005

First new treatment for Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis)

Scientists at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have proved that a single course of one antibiotic may hold the key to curing the parasitic worm disease Elephantiasis (lymphatic filariasis) that has been one of the most common causes of global disability since Biblical times.

21 Jun 2005

Scientists identify inhibitors of the anthrax toxin

A collaborative team of scientists led by The Burnham Institute's Maurizio Pellecchia, Ph.D., has identified inhibitors of the anthrax toxin, termed lethal factor ("LF") that could be developed into an emergency treatment for exposure to inhalation anthrax.

21 Jun 2005

Expert says the world is not ready for the next pandemic

Michael T. Osterholm is Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, Associate Director of the Department of Homeland Security's National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and Professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.

21 Jun 2005

FDA approves treatment for diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium infection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Alinia (nitazoxanide) tablets and oral suspension for treating diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum infection in adults and children 12 years and older. The product, already approved to treat the same infection in younger children, received a priority review by FDA.

19 Jun 2005

New antibiotic approved by FDA will fight bacterial infections in hospitals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given it's approval for a new antibiotic to fight bacterial infections.

19 Jun 2005

Single course of one antibiotic can successfully treat elephantiasis

A single course of one antibiotic can successfully treat elephantiasis (filariasis) - a parasitic worm disease that is one of the most common causes of global disability, concludes a study published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

16 Jun 2005

Diabetes patients may benefit most from minor surgery plus antibiotics

A small sore on a toe may not seem like a major medical threat. But for the millions of people who have diabetes and other conditions, it can be the first step on a road that leads to the amputation of a foot -- or even a leg.

15 Jun 2005

Scientists discover new way of bringing "bio-prospecting" out of the rainforest and into the lab

Nature is a seemingly endless storehouse of interesting - and potentially life-saving - biological molecules. But tracking down and harvesting those chemicals in their natural form can be time-consuming, expensive and unreliable.

15 Jun 2005

Promising new tuberculosis drug enters clinical trial

A promising new drug candidate that may be effective against both actively dividing and slow-growing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) has begun testing in humans, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced this week.

15 Jun 2005

Researchers resurrect old technology to quickly and accurately identify deadly bacterial infections in hospital patients

University of Florida researchers are resurrecting an old technology to more quickly and accurately identify potentially deadly bacterial infections in hospital patients.

10 Jun 2005

Claritin's switch to OTC status meant fewer prescriptions

After the allergy drug Claritin became available without a prescription in 2002, insurance plans and consumers spent less on the prescription form of its main ingredient, loratadine, and all similar allergy drugs, according to a new report published in this month’s The American Journal of Managed Care.

10 Jun 2005

Promising new vaccine candidate to prevent middle ear infections

Hoping to prevent ear infections for the more than 15 million children in the United States who suffer from them, a promising new vaccine candidate to prevent middle ear infections (otitis media) is being developed by researchers at the Columbus Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) on the campus of Columbus Children’s Hospital.

9 Jun 2005

Superbug possibly the same as US killer strain

Microbiologists at the Health Protection Agency suspect that the superbug which has already caused 12 deaths at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Buckinghamshire, may be the same strain that has spread in many American hospitals since 2001, and killed more than 100 patients in Quebec, Canada, last year.

8 Jun 2005