Antibiotic Resistance News and Research

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New UC Davis study suggests that popular molecular tests over-diagnose C. difficile infections

Clostridium difficile is a common cause of infection and diarrhea in hospitalized patients, but a new study by UC Davis pathologists suggests that many patients are mistakenly diagnosed and do not need antibiotic treatment. As a result, patients are likely being over-diagnosed and over-treated, adding to concerns about antibiotic resistance, damage to the "good" bacteria that live in people's intestines, and increased health-care costs.

9 Sep 2015

Antibiotic resistance awareness: an interview with Professor Colin Garner

The threat of antibiotic resistance is very real. It is estimated that 700,000 people die each from resistant infections. In Europe the figure is 25,000 deaths and a similar number in the USA.

7 Sep 2015

Significant divide can exist between patients and physicians about same medical terms

Few things are more stressful than dealing with a sick child. From discussing treatment with a pediatrician to complying with day care policies, a parent must consider many factors when making a decision about their child's health. Now, a recent study from the University of Missouri and the University of Michigan is shedding light on the significant divide that can exist between patients and physicians about the same terminology--especially when it comes to discussing "pink eye," a particular flashpoint in childcare.

25 Aug 2015

Johns Hopkins study advances scientific understanding of how DNA segments move among bacteria

Scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have deciphered the structure and unusual shape of a bacterial protein that prepares segments of DNA for the insertion of so-called jumping genes.

21 Aug 2015

Surprising mechanism behind antibiotic resistant bacteria uncovered by TSRI scientists

Every year, more strains of bacteria develop resistance to the antibiotics we use to treat deadly infections. At The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) scientists have been working to develop new forms of these drugs, including an antibiotic called arylomycin—but tests have shown that it is possible for bacteria to become resistant to arylomycin, too.

20 Aug 2015

Programme to tackle superbugs announced by charity

Antibiotic Research UK announced at its Annual General meeting its first research programme to tackle antibiotic resistant bacteria (superbugs).

20 Aug 2015

New research explores underlying mechanisms by which bacteria acquire antibiotic resistance genes

A scientific peek into bacteria boudoirs is revealing how "sex" among disease-causing microbes can lead different species or strains to become resistant to antibiotic medications.

18 Aug 2015

LA BioMed's Nagendra Mishra to be honored with 2015 ICAAC Young Investigator Award

Nagendra Mishra, PhD, a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute researcher will be honored by the American Society of Microbiology with a 2015 Interscience Conference of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Young Investigator Award during the conference Sept. 17-21 in San Diego.

11 Aug 2015

Rice University scientists identify genetic mechanism that allows bacteria to resist antibiotics

Rice University scientists are developing strategies to keep germs from evolving resistance to antibiotics by heading them off at the pass.

5 Aug 2015

New article proposes creation of $2 billion global vaccine-development fund to prevent infectious diseases

Ebola is a preventable disease, and yet a safe and effective vaccine has not been deployed. As with many vaccines, financial barriers persist: pharmaceutical companies see high costs with limited market potential, and government support is lacking. But there may be a solution to this vaccine crisis with the ability to save at-risk populations, according to a perspective piece written by physicians based at Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and the Wellcome Trust.

4 Aug 2015

IU scientists find evidence that invisible war between microorganisms may affect human health

Health experts have warned for years that the overuse of antibiotics is creating "superbugs" able to resist drugs treating infection.

31 Jul 2015

Europe has increasing prevalence of fungal resistance, warns ESCMID

The European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease – an organization that explores the risks and best practices in infectious disease – is imploring global healthcare professionals and bodies to take a more active role in the growing problem of fungal resistance.

28 Jul 2015

Antimicrobial coating for portable communication devices developed by Lucideon and King’s

International materials technology specialist Lucideon has developed a new infection control method to tackle problems associated with digital technology in hospitals.

From Lucideon 24 Jul 2015

Retail meat harbors disease-causing Klebsiella pneumoniae, shows new study

Chicken, turkey and pork sold in grocery stores harbors disease-causing bacteria known as Klebsiella pneumoniae, according to a new study. The research, which was published online today in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, shows that contaminated meat may be an important source of human exposure to Klebsiella.

23 Jul 2015

MGB Biopharma begins MGB-BP-3 Phase I clinical trial for treatment of Clostridium difficile infections

MGB Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing a truly novel class of anti-infectives, to address the major global problem of antibiotic resistance today announces that the first group of healthy male volunteers have been dosed in a Phase I clinical trial assessing the safety and tolerability of an oral formulation of MGB-BP-3, for use in the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections.

21 Jul 2015

NDSU assistant professor receives NIH grant to study regulation of transporters in Gram-negative bacteria

Christopher Colbert, assistant professor of biochemistry at North Dakota State University, Fargo, has received a $348,000 grant award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on structure-function relationships of iron transport and transcriptional regulation in Gram-negative bacteria.

20 Jul 2015

Multidrug-resistant bacteria can naturally relinquish its ability to resist antibiotics

Infections with one of the most troublesome and least understood antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are increasing at alarming rates, particularly in health-care settings.

14 Jul 2015

Dr. Jian-Dong Li receives $1.6 million to develop novel therapeutic targets to treat middle-ear infections

Dr. Jian-Dong Li, a professor and director of the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Inflammation and Immunity, has received a five-year, $1.6 million federal grant to develop novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics against middle-ear infections.

2 Jul 2015

Aridis' Aerucin gets FDA Fast Track Designation for treatment of hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia

Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company applying proprietary technologies to produce novel therapies for infectious diseases, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track Designation to its fully human monoclonal antibody Aerucin for the treatment of hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

30 Jun 2015

IPs spend more time in collecting and reporting hospital infection data than protecting patients

Collecting and reporting hospital infection data to federal health agencies takes more than 5 hours each day, at the expense of time needed to ensure that frontline healthcare personnel are adhering to basic infection prevention practices such as hand hygiene, according to a recent case study, to be presented on Saturday, June 27 at the 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

26 Jun 2015