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Researchers report that predominant CA-MRSA strain migrated from sub-Saharan Africa

The predominant strain of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infecting people in Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa derived from a single sub-Saharan ancestor, a team of international researchers reported this week in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

26 Aug 2014

CRISPR system involved in promoting antibiotic resistance

CRISPR, a system of genes that bacteria use to fend off viruses, is involved in promoting antibiotic resistance in Francisella novicida, a close relative of the bacterium that causes tularemia.

15 Jul 2014

Manure from dairy cows contains newly identified antibiotic resistance genes

Manure from dairy cows, which is commonly used as a farm soil fertilizer, contains a surprising number of newly identified antibiotic resistance genes from the cows' gut bacteria. The findings, reported in mBio- the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, hints that cow manure is a potential source of new types of antibiotic resistance genes that transfer to bacteria in the soils where food is grown.

22 Apr 2014

Scientists build tiny "molecular drill bits" that kill bacteria by bursting through their protective cell walls

In response to drug-resistant "superbugs" that send millions of people to hospitals around the world, scientists are building tiny, "molecular drill bits" that kill bacteria by bursting through their protective cell walls.

18 Mar 2014

FDA-regulated study investigates use of child's stem cells for acquired sensorineural hearing loss

Cord Blood Registry, the world's largest and most experienced newborn stem cell company, announces the start of a U.S. Food and Drug-regulated study being conducted at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando to investigate the use of a child's stem cells from their own stored umbilical cord blood as a treatment for acquired sensorineural hearing loss.

16 Jan 2014

Three rapid diagnostic tests could be used to diagnose drug resistance in TB

Results of a new study suggest that three new diagnostic tests could each be used to successfully diagnose drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) patients in a quarter of the time taken by the current method.

10 Sep 2013

Scientists uncover easy strategies to prevent harmful side-effects of antibiotics responses

A team of scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has discovered why long-term treatment with many common antibiotics can cause harmful side effects-and they have uncovered two easy strategies that could help prevent these dangerous responses.

4 Jul 2013

High worldwide drug-resistant TB figures are “worrying

The prevalence of resistance to second-line therapy among individuals with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is high, show the results of a study conducted using data from eight countries worldwide.

26 Oct 2012

New approach can design antibiotics that kill even 'superbugs'

The world needs new antibiotics to overcome the ever increasing resistance of disease-causing bacteria - but it doesn't need the side effect that comes with some of the most powerful ones now available: hearing loss. Today, researchers report they have developed a new approach to designing antibiotics that kill even "superbugs" but spare the delicate sensory cells of the inner ear.

12 Jun 2012

Researchers discover novel way to increase amounts of antibiotics

A novel way of increasing the amounts of antibiotics produced by bacteria has been discovered that could markedly improve the yields of these important compounds in commercial production. It could also be valuable in helping to discover new compounds. With the ever-growing threat from antibiotic resistance, these tools will be very useful in ensuring that we have enough of these useful compounds in the future.

5 Sep 2011

Scientists awarded $3.9M grant to study how XDR-TB transmitted in rural South Africa

The National Institutes of Health has awarded scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University a five-year, $3.9 million grant to study how extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis is transmitted in rural South Africa. The findings could alter public health approaches for controlling the XDR-TB epidemic in the developing world.

3 Jun 2010

WHO estimates 440 000 MDR-TB cases in 2008

In some areas of the world, one in four people with tuberculosis (TB) becomes ill with a form of the disease that can no longer be treated with standard drugs regimens, a World Health Organization (WHO) report says.

19 Mar 2010

Low doses of antibiotics may serve as active mutagens and lead to multidrug resistance

Multidrug resistant bacteria such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pose a major problem for patients, doctors, and the pharmaceutical industry. To combat such bacteria, it is critical to understand how resistance is developed in the first place. It is commonly thought that an incomplete course of antibiotics would lead to resistance to that particular antibiotic by allowing the bacteria to make adaptive changes under less stringent conditions.

12 Feb 2010

Antibiotic protects against noise-induced hearing loss in young mice

A type of antibiotic that can cause hearing loss in people has been found to paradoxically protect the ears when given in extended low doses in very young mice.

28 Jan 2010

Lancet Infectious Diseases examines spread of XDR-TB

The journal Lancet Infectious Diseases examines the worldwide spread of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). Currently, about 500,000 of the 9 million new cases of TB that are identified each year are strains of XDR-TB. "Drug resistance is largely man-made - it is vitally important to review antibiotic treatment strategies and to ensure the Stop TB Strategy is fully applied to prevent further selection of drug-resistant mutants," Leonard Amaral of Universidade Nova de Lisboa said.

24 Jun 2009

XDR-TB declining in the U.S.

A new report suggests that the number of cases of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) in the U.S. has declined in the past fifteen years, but new cases continue to be reported, according to the study published in the November 12 issue of JAMA.

11 Nov 2008

Increasing transmission of drug resistant tuberculosis in the UK

A changing population structure and ongoing migration have increased cases of drug resistant tuberculosis, according to a study published on bmj.com today.

1 May 2008

WHO ready to tackle drug resistant TB

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) some forms of tuberculosis (TB) are a threat to the security and stability of global health.

25 Jun 2007

New plan to contain extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB)

Hundreds of thousands of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) can be prevented and as many as 134 000 lives saved through the implementation of a two-year response plan, published/launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership.

22 Jun 2007

New and revealing portrait of Yersinia pestis emerges

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of the “Black Death” or “Bubonic” plague, has been a scourge of human civilization. One of the most virulent bacterial pathogens known, killing nearly 90% of those infected, Y. pestis was responsible for three historic pandemics that shattered whole societies.

4 Dec 2004