Penicillin News and Research

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Penicillin (sometimes abbreviated PCN or pen) is a group of antibiotics derived from ''Penicillium'' fungi. Penicillin antibiotics are historically significant because they are the first drugs that were effective against many previously serious diseases such as syphilis and Staphylococcus infections.

Researchers identify fungus that makes mosquitoes more susceptible to malaria infection

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have identified a fungus that compromises the immune system of mosquitoes, making them more susceptible to infection with the parasite that causes malaria.

28 Sep 2016

STDs are becoming more difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistance, warns WHO

The WHO has issued new guidelines for the treatment of three common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) due to concerns about increasing levels of antibiotic resistance.

2 Sep 2016

Study finds 10% of patients admitted into hospitals colonised with dreaded pathogens

According to National Reference Center for Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections esti-mates, up to 15,000 patients die of hospital-acquired infections in Germany every year.

18 Aug 2016

Penicillin allergy testing: an interview with Dr. Eric Macy

Penicillin was one of the first antibiotics developed and has saved millions of lives. First used in the early 1940s, penicillin is still one of the most widely used and least toxic family of antibiotics.

17 Aug 2016

Researchers discover new set of bacterial cell wall synthesizers

Harvard Medical School scientists have identified a new family of proteins that virtually all bacteria use to build and maintain their cell walls.

17 Aug 2016

Antibiotic usage, infections may contribute to manic episodes in people with mental disorders

In research using patient medical records, investigators from Johns Hopkins and Sheppard Pratt Health System report that people with serious mental disorders who were hospitalized for mania were more likely to be on antibiotics to treat active infections than a group of people without a mental disorder.

20 Jul 2016

Rare antibiotic compound detected in fungi for first time

Besides mushrooms such as truffles or morels, also many yeast and mould fungi, as well as other filamentous fungi belong to the Ascomycota phylum. They produce metabolic products which can act as natural antibiotics to combat bacteria and other pathogens. Penicillin, one of the oldest antibiotic agents, is probably the best known example.

18 Jul 2016

Researchers reveal how bacterial cell wall adapts to threatening environments

Researchers at Umea University in Sweden have published new findings on the adaptation of the bacterial cell wall in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

8 Jul 2016

People with higher levels of IgG/IgM antibodies less likely to have heart attack

Measuring antibody levels in the blood could be used to detect a person's heart attack risk after researchers, part-funded by the British Heart Foundation, discovered that higher levels of these antibodies are linked to a lower heart attack risk.

20 Jun 2016

New experimental antibiotic can help combat MRSA infections

A new experimental antibiotic developed by a team of scientists at Rutgers University successfully treats the deadly MRSA infection and restores the efficacy of a commonly prescribed antibiotic that has become ineffective against MRSA.

14 Jun 2016

New immunization approach may one day wipe out pneumonia, meningitis

A new vaccine allows pneumonia-causing bacteria to colonize inside the body, springing into action only if the bacteria pose a threat.

8 Jun 2016

Dr Anjali Mahto explains how to prevent risk of mosquito bites

Nobody likes being bitten by mosquitos whether it’s at home or abroad. Consultant Dermatologist & British Skin Foundation spokesperson, Dr Anjali Mahto explains how to deter the summer pests, what to do when bitten and why they are attracted to us in the first place.

2 Jun 2016

Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly comes to end after approving many new resolutions

The Sixty-ninth World Health Assembly closed today after approving new resolutions on WHO's Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors; the Sustainable Development Goals; the International Health Regulations; tobacco control; road traffic deaths and injuries; nutrition; HIV, hepatitis and STIs; mycetoma; research and development; access to medicines and integrated health services.

31 May 2016

New drug that combines methicillin with polymer BPEI can combat MRSA

A University of Oklahoma team of chemists has developed a new antibiotic formulation to fight the sometimes deadly staph infection caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus or MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant infectious bacteria.

19 May 2016

Common misconception about penicillin allergies

It's time for your primary care check-up, and the doctor asks you to list any known drug allergies. "Penicillin," you say immediately, although you can't remember actually taking the drug or having a reaction to it—it was your parents who said so. According to a Texas A&M Health Science Center allergist, many people who believe they're allergic to this antibiotic may not actually be allergic at all.

5 May 2016

Pooled analysis from seven clinical studies demonstrates consistent efficacy for ceftazidime-avibactam in the treatment of multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacteria

AstraZeneca has presented positive data demonstrating the efficacy of the investigational antibiotic, ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI), in treating patients with ceftazidime-resistant Gram-negative infections, which are increasingly resistant to most available antibiotics, often precipitating the need for clinicians to reach for agents previously reserved for last-line use.

12 Apr 2016

New project aims to develop low-cost device that can detect drug allergies within 30 minutes

The Universitat Politècnica de València (Polytechnic University of Valencia, UPV) is at the helm of a new Horizon2020 research project to develop a low-cost biophotonic device that can detect drug allergies within 30 minutes. Going by the acronym "Cobiophad", short for Compact Biophotonic Platform for Drug Allergy Diagnosis, it also receives funding from the European Technology Platform Photonics 21.

19 Feb 2016

Antibiotics may be linked to delirium and other brain problems

Antibiotics may be linked to a serious disruption in brain function, called delirium, and other brain problems, more than previously thought, according to a "Views and Reviews" article published in the February 17, 2016, online issue of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Feb 2016

Allergan's sNDA for TEFLARO (ceftaroline fosamil) accepted by FDA

Allergan plc today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for filing the company's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for TEFLARO (ceftaroline fosamil).

16 Feb 2016

UC San Diego researchers develop rapid susceptibility test for Staphylococcus aureus

A team of biologists and biomedical researchers at UC San Diego has developed a new method to determine if bacteria are susceptible to antibiotics within a few hours, an advance that could slow the appearance of drug resistance and allow doctors to more rapidly identify the appropriate treatment for patients with life threatening bacterial infections.

25 Jan 2016