Antibiotic Resistance News and Research

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Analysis shows link between high psychological safety and adoption of infection prevention practices

Hospitals reporting high levels of psychological safety are more likely to have comprehensive infection prevention and control programs, according to the results of a survey appearing in the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, published by Elsevier.

16 Dec 2019

Tackling antibiotic resistance head-on with CRISPR

With modern advances in genetic engineering occurring almost every day, the latest discovery concerns antibiotic resistance. Using the powerful gene editor CRISPR, scientists reported the development of a gene-drive system that is 100 times as efficient as other current systems at inactivating a specific bacterial gene responsible for making the bacterium antibiotic-resistant and which is present as multiple copies within the same bacterial cell.

16 Dec 2019

Scientists modify approved cancer drug to develop new antibiotic

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly the source of deadly infections. A team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig have now modified an approved cancer drug to develop an active agent against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

16 Dec 2019

Modifying a cancer drug has created a new agent for multi-resistant infections

Researchers have modified a cancer drug to create an agent that is effective at treating multi-drug-resistant infections.

16 Dec 2019

New gene technology shows 100-fold efficiency in targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Taking advantage of powerful advances in CRISPR gene editing, scientists at the University of California San Diego have set their sights on one of society's most formidable threats to human health.

16 Dec 2019

Under-5's receiving an average 25 antibiotic prescriptions each year

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to mankind says the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the greatest contributors to this menace is indiscriminate use of antibiotics.

15 Dec 2019

House drug pricing bill to reduce costs, improve access to life-saving therapies

H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act passed by the House of Representatives today introduces critically needed and significant steps to reduce costs and improve access to life-saving therapies for conditions including HIV and hepatitis C.

13 Dec 2019

Americans are taking fish antibiotics to save money

Alarming results from a new study show that people in the United States buying fish antibiotics online and consuming them because they’re more affordable than to go visit a doctor. The study sheds light on the high costs of health care in the country and how citizens are struggling to afford basic services.

12 Dec 2019

Study: 18% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions written without a documented reason

A study of outpatient visits to health care providers in the United States during a one-year period suggests 18 percent of antibiotic prescriptions were written without a documented reason for doing so.

12 Dec 2019

Yeasts derived from food can reduce multi-drug resistant fungal infections

A study by researchers in the United States and India has shown that probiotic yeasts derived from food are able to reduce the virulence of, and even prevent infections by, several types of fungi that are responsible for life-threatening infections in hospitalized and immune-compromised individuals, including the multi-drug resistant Candida auris, which was recently listed as an urgent threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in its 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats report.

10 Dec 2019

'Achilles' heel' of deadly superbug identified

A deadly superbug that infects an estimated 54,500 Americans a year has a secret weapon, a protein, that allows it to defy antibiotic treatment and immune system attacks.

9 Dec 2019

Experts say cancer research is making more progress that people think

The focus on a “cure for cancer” is masking progress made in extending lifespan and making cancer manageable in the long-term.

9 Dec 2019

Manuka honey fights infection in surgical dressings

And now, Manuka honey is proving a gamechanger in the fight against extremely drug-resistant infections, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers.

5 Dec 2019

Typhoid conjugate vaccine proves its worth in the field

A new typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) that has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has proved extremely effective in both young children and adults in a high-endemicity area for the first time. With almost 82% of recipients showing protection against typhoid, the vaccine promises to help control this deadly disease that claims up to 160,000 of its 11 million victims each year.

5 Dec 2019

Important opportunity to act on gaps and challenges in seasonal influenza outbreaks

Today's subcommittee hearing on U.S. preparedness and responses for the 2019-2020 flu season offers an important opportunity to examine and act on gaps and challenges exacerbating the public health threats of seasonal influenza outbreaks.

5 Dec 2019

Study: Most Australian GPs widely use placebos

Most Australian GPs have used a placebo in practice at least once, with active placebos (active treatments used primarily to generate positive expectations) more commonly used than inert placebos, according to a new study.

2 Dec 2019

Research shows how gut microbes affect stomach flu

A new study shows that gut microbes can modulate the severity of norovirus infection (the stomach flu, or the winter vomiting bug), based on the gut location first affected. Published in the journal Nature Microbiology on November 25, 2019, the study indicates new possibilities to treat norovirus infection.

26 Nov 2019

A large library of products derived from fungi could help find new drugs

An enormous library of products derived from more than ten thousand fungi could help us find new drugs.

26 Nov 2019

Researchers trace the origins and global spread of S. aureus lineages

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen prone to developing antibiotic resistance, causing 120,000 cases of bloodstream infections every year in the United States and over 5000 in Australia; the mortality rate is around 25 per cent from each case.

26 Nov 2019

People with salmonella infection more likely to be hospitalized longer

Salmonella is acting up in Michigan, and it could be a model for what's happening in other states, according to a new Michigan State University study.

25 Nov 2019