Antibiotic News and Research

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

Ultraviolet light cuts spread of tuberculosis

Ultraviolet lights could reduce the spread of tuberculosis in hospital wards and waiting rooms by 70%, according to a new study, published in PLoS Medicine today.

16 Mar 2009

Review of hospital infection control strategies

Hand-washing, a clean environment, appropriate infection barriers and early identification of patients at high risk of colonization with a transmissible microorganism remain the essential measures to prevent and control infection.

16 Mar 2009

Houseflies may contribute to the dispersion of drug-resistant bacteria

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found evidence that houseflies collected near broiler poultry operations may contribute to the dispersion of drug-resistant bacteria and thus increase the potential for human exposure to drug-resistant bacteria.

16 Mar 2009

Drugs throw spanner into the molecular works of enzymes

Drugs that work by blocking the function of a protein from the outside also disrupt the protein's internal workings, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

16 Mar 2009

Next generation antibiotic compounds that do not provoke bacterial resistance

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is one of medicine's most vexing challenges.

15 Mar 2009

New approach to prevent bacterial infections from taking hold

Dr Quinn Parks and colleagues describe how they used enzymes against products of the body's own defence cells to prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria from building a protective biofilm which enables them to avoid both the body's immune mechanisms and antibiotics.

15 Mar 2009

Cells get two chances, not just one, to fix their mistakes

Cells have two chances to fix the same mistake in their protein-making process instead of just one - a so-called proofreading step - that had previously been identified, according to new research.

12 Mar 2009

How to avoid colon problems

Most adults would rather keep talk about colons behind the bathroom door.It's time to talk, says Kim Turgeon, MD, FACP, gastroenterologist in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System.

10 Mar 2009

Curry ingredient curcumin makes membranes behave for better health

Revered in India as "holy powder," the marigold-colored spice known as turmeric has been used for centuries to treat wounds, infections and other health problems.

8 Mar 2009

Pharmacies offering no-cost antibiotics should promote responsible use, CDC says

CDC last week sent out letters to several chain pharmacies that offer no-cost prescription antibiotics to low-income consumers urging them to promote responsible use of antibiotics, the New York Times reports.

5 Mar 2009

Why does aspirin increase the susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to antimicrobials?

Resent studies reported that aspirin inhibited the growth of H. pylori in a dose-dependent manner and significantly affected the activity of virulence factors of H. pylori.

3 Mar 2009

Insecticidal toxin useless without 'friendly' bacteria accomplices

The toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a popular insecticide used to control pest moths and butterflies, and in some GM pest-proof crops.

3 Mar 2009

Universal vaccination associated with decreased Canadian cases of most deadly strain of meningitis

Universal childhood vaccination against meningococcal C appears to reduce Canadian incidence of the most deadly strain of bacterial meningitis, reports new research published in the March issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

2 Mar 2009

New treatment target for chronic abdominal pain

High levels of a protein linked to the way pain signals are sent to the brain led to a decrease in abdominal pain in a recent study in mice.

2 Mar 2009

Scientists debug Clostridium difficile

An international team of scientists, led by Monash University researchers, has uncovered the workings of a superbug that kills elderly hospital patients worldwide - a discovery that has the potential to save lives and health care systems billions of dollars each year.

2 Mar 2009

Help for children with rheumatic heart disease

These bacteria carry a special protein sequence, the so-called PARF motif, on their surface.

2 Mar 2009

Bacteria-killing enzyme cures mice with fatal pneumonia

Before the advent of antibiotics, pneumonia claimed so many lives - and was so feared - that it was called the "captain of the ship of death."

1 Mar 2009

Lab tests show meropenem and clavulanate combination effective against drug-resistant TB bacteria

WHAT: In a finding that could soon help people infected with untreatable, highly drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), scientists have shown that two FDA-approved drugs work in tandem to kill laboratory-grown strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium that causes TB.

26 Feb 2009

Drug combo shows potential for treating extensively drug resistant tuberculosis

A combination of two FDA-approved drugs, already approved for fighting other bacterial infections, shows potential for treating extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), the most deadly form of the infection.

26 Feb 2009