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.

Three studies present new information on penicillin allergy

At some point you may have had a reaction to penicillin and were told you were allergic. And there's a good chance it has stayed in your chart throughout your childhood and into adulthood.

8 Nov 2019

Scientists identify a novel method for treating chronic pain

Watching immersive 360 videos of icy Arctic scenes helps to relieve intense burning pain and could hold hope for treating chronic pain, a small study has found.

8 Nov 2019

Good news, bad news: lower antibiotic use, more antibiotic resistance in UK

Public Health England (PHE) is cheering about a significant fall in the number of antibiotic prescriptions in England over the five years between 2014 and 2019, when it has dropped by 17%. However, with more and more bacterial infections showing antibiotic resistance every single year, there is no room for complacency.

31 Oct 2019

Mechanism for antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas explained in new research

A new study has revealed the underlying mechanism of development of antibiotic resistance among Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Pseudomonas is known to cause severe and often life threatening infections in humans. These infections become further difficult to treat because of the development of resistance against commonly used antibiotics.

30 Oct 2019

UGA researcher working to correct penicillin allergy misconception

More than 30 million people in the United States wrongly believe they are allergic to penicillin - resulting in millions of dollars in added health care costs, adverse side effects from the use of more powerful antibiotics and a risk in the rise of dangerous antibiotic resistant infections.

29 Oct 2019

Study sheds new light on mechanism behind evolution of antibiotic resistance

Researchers have provided new insight into a mechanism behind the evolution of antibiotic resistance in a type of bacterium that causes severe infections in humans.

29 Oct 2019

E. coli superbug spreading by poor toilet hygiene, not through food

A new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on October 22, 2019, says that one common superbug that causes more than 5,000 cases of food poisoning in England every year is spread not through contaminated food but through contaminated toilet surfaces.

23 Oct 2019

Syphilis rates in patients with kidney failure found to be greater than general population

Syphilis rates, like other sexually transmitted disease rates in the United States, are soaring, and the first known study to examine syphilis rates in patients with kidney failure found an incidence greater than three times that of the general population.

16 Oct 2019

Congenital syphilis continues to rise at an alarming rate

One of the nation's most preventable diseases is killing newborns in ever-increasing numbers.

8 Oct 2019

Common gout medications can kill elephantiasis-causing parasites

Treatment with two common FDA-approved gout medications have been found to cause rapid death to the parasites that cause elephantiasis.

3 Oct 2019

Scientists develop skin patch than may protect against antibiotic resistant superbugs

Researchers have developed non-invasive patches that adhere to skin in order to provide a continuous reading of a patient’s medication level.

2 Oct 2019

Tiny biosensor allows accurate and real-time detection of patient’s antibiotic levels

Small, non-invasive patches worn on the skin can accurately detect the levels of medication in a patient's system, matching the accuracy of current clinical methods.

1 Oct 2019

Mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance captured on video for the first time

Scientists have established the cause of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria on video, and the findings contradict previous beliefs.

26 Sep 2019

Scientists identify cause of antibiotic resistance

Scientists have confirmed for the first time that bacteria can change form to avoid being detected by antibiotics in the human body.

26 Sep 2019

Scientists develop new method to test for drug-resistant infections

Scientists have developed a method to test whether an infection is resistant to common antibiotics.

10 Sep 2019

Single course of antibiotics may boost colon cancer risk

In an extensive "data mining" analysis of British medical records, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center conclude that taking even a single course of antibiotics might boost--albeit slightly--the risk of developing colon cancer--but not rectal cancer--a decade later.

22 Aug 2019

Northern Antibiotics working on a new molecule to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Each year, around 60,000 deaths are caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Europe and the U.S., and this number is growing.

21 Aug 2019

FDA approves effective new treatment for extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is the leading infectious killer in the world, far above AIDS. It kills about 1.6 million of the 10 million it affects every year. About 30,000 patients worldwide now have XDR tuberculosis (that fails to respond to any of the four antibiotic categories in use at present).

15 Aug 2019

Understanding creation of antibiotic scaffolds could drive new class of antibiotics

Understanding how antibiotic scaffolds are constructed in nature can help scientists prospect for new classes of antibiotics through DNA sequencing and genome mining.

31 Jul 2019

London's canals and ponds contain high levels of antibiotic-resistant genes

Central London's freshwater sources contain high levels of antibiotic resistant genes, with the River Thames having the highest amount, according to research by UCL.

26 Jul 2019