Necrotizing Fasciitis News and Research

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Pediatric invasive group A Streptococcal infections on the rise during respiratory virus outbreak

Researchers assess the incidence of invasive Group A streptococcal infections among children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 Apr 2023

Tattoos can induce bloodstream infections

A recent review describes the characteristics of systemic bacterial infections associated with tattoos.

28 Aug 2022

Research reveals new evolutive mechanism of bacteria that expands pathogenic potential

A group of nine researchers has just published new findings on the mechanisms that regulate how bacteria from the Staphylococcus aureus genus transfer genetic material, awarding them greater pathogenic virulence and resistance to antibiotics.

27 Sep 2021

Enzyme inhibitor boosts immune system to fight MRSA and other dangerous skin infections

In what turned out to be one of the most important accidents of all time, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory after a vacation in 1928 to find a clear zone surrounding a piece of mold that had infiltrated a petri dish full of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a common skin bacterium he was growing.

8 Jul 2021

Researchers discover why Aeromonas hydrophila can have lethal consequences in some cases

Some infections caused by bacteria can have devastating results on health. This is the case of the infections caused by Aeromonas hydrophila, which can be found in water and, if ingested orally, can sometimes cause gastrointestinal upsets that require treatment with antibiotics.

21 Nov 2019

Two strains of the same bacterium work together to cause deadly flesh-eating disease

Two different strains of the same flesh-eating bacteria species work in combination to become more dangerous.

12 Nov 2019

$15 million grant funds new effort to develop universal vaccine for strep throat infections

CARB-X, an international non-profit partnership of private, academic and government institutions, has awarded SutroVax, Inc., a Northern California-based biopharmaceutical company, with an award of up to $15 million to develop a universal vaccine for Group A Streptococcus, the bacteria that causes pharyngitis or strep throat.

4 Sep 2019

Texas man bitten by shark being treated for flesh-eating bacteria infection

Blain Shelton, a 42-year-old Texas man was swimming around 200 yards off the shore of Boliver Island near Galveston on 9th of August when he encountered a shark.

24 Aug 2018

FDA approves first adjuvant treatment to reduce risk of kidney cancer recurrence

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Sutent (sunitinib malate) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients who are at a high risk of kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma) returning after a kidney has been removed (nephrectomy).

17 Nov 2017

Study identifies two genes involved in invasive group A Streptococcus infections

Group A Streptococcus bacteria cause a variety of illnesses that range from mild nuisances like strep throat to life-threatening conditions including pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome and the flesh-eating disease formally known as necrotizing fasciitis.

22 Sep 2017

Houston Methodist researchers find pathway for treating diseases caused by flesh-eating bacteria

Researchers at Houston Methodist have solved a 100-year-old mystery, providing them a possible key to unlock a pathway for treating diseases caused by flesh-eating bacteria. This is timely news, given the current dangers lurking in the debris and destruction left behind by Hurricane Harvey's floodwaters that destroyed tens of thousands of homes in Texas.

19 Sep 2017

When wounds won’t heal, therapies spread — to the tune of $5 billion

Carol Emanuele beat cancer. But for the past two years, she has been fighting her toughest battle yet. She has an open wound on the bottom of her foot that leaves her unable to walk and prone to deadly infection.

3 Aug 2017

Engineered nanosponges can reduce severity of infections caused by group A Streptococcus

In a new study, researchers show that engineered nanosponges that are encapsulated in the membranes of red blood cells can reduce the severity of infections caused by group A Streptococcus, the bacteria responsible for strep throat and life-threatening infections such as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease.

25 Apr 2017

Virulence of bacterial infections dependent on presence of cytotoxins, study reports

Beginning in the mid-1980s, an epidemic of severe invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes), also known as group A streptococcus (GAS), occurred in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.

2 Feb 2017

Researchers finding way to manipulate signals in bacteria to reduce infections

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received a five-year, $1.25 million federal grant to continue its research into how bacteria that cause streptococcal infections can be manipulated.

12 Jan 2017

New discovery offers way to develop vaccine against highly infectious bacteria

Biochemists at the University of California San Diego have uncovered patterns in the outer protein coat of group A Streptococcus that could finally lead to a vaccine against this highly infectious bacteria--responsible for more than 500,000 deaths a year, including toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis or "flesh-eating disease."

5 Sep 2016

Biofilm formation can be complicating feature of GAS NSTI, new study shows

Group A streptococcus (GAS) can cause a life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis, which spreads rapidly and destroys soft tissue. Treatment of these GAS necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) typically requires intensive care along with surgical intervention and often amputation of the affected limb.

7 Jul 2016

TGen investigators help track hypervirulent strep outbreak in southwestern U.S.

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has helped state, local and tribal health officials identify an outbreak of "hypervirulent" strep bacteria in the American Southwest.

22 Mar 2016

Over- or under-reaction of immune system can be life-threatening

The dilemma of our immune system is comparable to the story of Icarus and Daedalus from Greek mythology. To escape their captivity, Daedalus built wings from feathers and wax for himself and his son. Daedalus warned his son that he must neither fly too high but also not too low, otherwise the sun's heat or the humidity of the sea would destroy his wings and he would crash. After they had successfully escaped, Icarus became boisterous and flew higher and higher until the sun began to melt the wax of his wings and he fell into the sea. Similarly, an over- or under-reaction of our immune system can be life-threatening.

11 Mar 2016

NNFF's Lifetime Health-Science Achievement Award 2015 goes to John Crew and Ron Najafi

The National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation today announced that it has awarded NNFF's Lifetime Health-Science Achievement Award 2015 to John Crew, MD and Ron Najafi, PhD for "Excellence in Innovative Healthcare". Their pioneering work has improved care for patients with life-threatening 'flesh-eating' disease and other types of wounds.

25 Sep 2015