Enterococcus News and Research

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Biochemists are developing a new system to better understand antibiotic resistance

Rice University biochemists are developing a system of "evolutionary forecasting" to better understand the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.

22 Sep 2009

LEAD Therapeutics' LT-29 antibiotic effective against most common antibiotic resistant bacteria

LEAD Therapeutics, a privately held drug discovery company, announced the discovery of a novel antibiotic with potent activity against many of the most common antibiotic resistant bacteria.

16 Sep 2009

Optimer's North American phase 3 Fidaxomicin study results presented at the 49th ICAAC

Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: OPTR) today announced that new data highlighting fidaxomicin's (OPT-80) lower CDI recurrence rates and reduced risk of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) acquisition from Optimer's North American phase 3 study were presented at the 49th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in San Francisco.

16 Sep 2009

Bloodstream infections can be avoided with a daily scrub solution bath

Giving critically ill hospital patients a daily bath with a mild, soapy solution of the same antibacterial agent used by surgeons to "scrub in" before an operation can dramatically cut down, by as much as 73 percent, the number of patients who develop potentially deadly bloodstream infections, according to a new study by patient safety experts at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and five other institutions.

5 Sep 2009

Study reveals safety of ConvaTec's advanced antimicrobial dressing

ConvaTec, a world-leading provider of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, today announced new data showing that AQUACEL(R) Ag, the company's advanced antimicrobial dressing, is safe for use in an MRI environment.

25 Aug 2009

Machine designed to reduce infections and cut back on expensive "disposables"

Johns Hopkins experts in applied physics, computer engineering, infectious diseases, emergency medicine, microbiology, pathology and surgery have unveiled a 7-foot-tall, $10,000 shower-cubicle-shaped device that automatically sanitizes in 30 minutes all sorts of hard-to-clean equipment in the highly trafficked hospital emergency department.

30 Jul 2009

Toddler’s mysterious meningitis trumps cancer threat

Brooklynn Spencer's mother Samantha knew something wasn't right. The 8 month old had the flu recently, but it had been four weeks. She should have been better. The Elmira mother of four pushed for blood tests in early October 2007. A few hours later, there was a knock at the door.

21 May 2009

Transmission of MRSA and Clostridium difficile through dogs

In a letter to the Editor of the Journal of Hospital Infection, published by Elsevier, S. Lefebvre and J.S. Weese from the University of Guelph in Canada describe a study that investigated whether MRSA and C.difficile could be passed between pet therapy dogs and patients.

7 May 2009

South Australian hospital battles to contain superbug VRE

The cancer ward at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in South Australia is currently battling to cope with an antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Vanocomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), a form of bacteria which lives in the gut.

16 Apr 2009

Rib-X granted patent for novel oxazolidinone in China

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Rib-X" or the "Company"), a development-stage company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibiotics for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections, today announced the issuance of a key antibiotic patent in China.

15 Apr 2009

Study finds multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria high in long-term care

The prevalence of a certain form of drug-resistant bacteria, called multidrug-resistant gram-negative (MDRGN) organisms, far surpassed that of two other common antimicrobial-resistant infections in long-term care facilities, according to a study conducted by researchers at Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research.

12 Apr 2009

New, more effective nisin antibiotics combat superbugs and food diseases

Researchers at University College Cork have used bioengineering to produce a new generation of natural antibiotics that target harmful micro-organisms such as MRSA and the food-borne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes

30 Mar 2009

FDA approves new indication for Wyeth's Tygacil (tigecycline)

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tygacil (tigecycline), for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) caused by susceptible strains of indicated pathogens.

24 Mar 2009

Researchers identify genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have identified the genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton, a powerful antibiotic produced by certain bacteria.

23 Mar 2009

Environmental cleaning intervention reduces MRSA in intensive care units

A rigorous environmental cleaning intervention can reduce the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multidrug-resistant organisms in hospital intensive care units (ICUs), according to a new study released today at the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

22 Mar 2009

Study finds extensive patient sharing among hospitals; could impact spread of infectious diseases

Findings from the first in-depth study of patient sharing show that hospitals share large numbers of patients with other acute care facilities without knowing it.

20 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

Johns Hopkins safety team works to eliminate bloodstream infections in the nation and the world

A widely heralded Johns Hopkins safety initiative to reduce bloodstream infections in intensive care units (ICUs) was implemented in 30 states starting Feb. 1 and could save an estimated $3 billion dollars and 30,000 lives annually.

25 Feb 2009

Six bad bugs increasingly escaping effects of antibiotics

Infectious disease experts warn that new drugs are urgently needed to treat six drug-resistant bacteria that cause most hospital infections and increasingly escape the effects of antibiotics.

1 Dec 2008