Superbug News and Research

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PolyU researchers uncover new hyper-resistant, hypervirulent superbug

The Partner State Key Laboratory of Chirosciences at the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University discovered a newly emerged superbug, hyper-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, which may cause untreatable and fatal infections in relatively healthy individuals and will pose enormous threat to human health.

31 Aug 2017

Scope maker Olympus hit with $6.6 million verdict in superbug outbreak case

A jury ordered the giant medical scope maker Olympus Corp. to pay a Seattle hospital $6.6 million in damages tied to a deadly superbug outbreak — and told the hospital to pay $1 million to a deceased patient's family.

25 Jul 2017

Large-scale genetic study of E. coli illustrates complexity of drug resistant 'superbugs'

The first large-scale genetic study of Escherichia coli (E. coli) cultured from patients with bloodstream infections in England showed that drug resistant 'superbugs' are not always out-competing other strains.

18 Jul 2017

New technology can help fight against antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem, as some infections that used to be easily cured are now immune to even our most powerful antibiotics.

4 Jul 2017

Researchers identify new therapy target for gonorrhea

Researchers have identified a possible new treatment for gonorrhea, using a peptide that thwarts the infection-causing bacterium by interfering with an enzyme the microbe needs to respirate.

27 Jun 2017

Widow unleashes court fight against scope maker Olympus over superbug outbreak

Three executives from Japan loom large in a cramped courtroom here — at least their photos do, mounted on a white poster board propped in front of the jury.

14 Jun 2017

WHO releases list of antibiotics as last resort in superbug infections

This Tuesday (6th June 2017) the World Health Organization came out with a recommendation that some antibiotics should be kept in reserve as the last resort in superbug infections due to the risk of antibiotic resistance worldwide.

6 Jun 2017

Triple combination of ineffective antibiotics provides new weapon to fight against super bacteria

In the fight against super bacteria, University at Buffalo scientists are relying on strength in numbers to win the battle against drug resistance.

25 May 2017

Study provides vital clues to counter superbug antibiotic resistance

An international study led by Monash University has discovered the molecular mechanism by which the potentially deadly superbug 'Golden Staph' evades antibiotic treatment, providing the first important clues on how to counter superbug antibiotic resistance.

16 May 2017

Phage therapy could offer safe and effective treatment option for Cystic Fibrosis lung infections

Scientists from the University of Liverpool have shown that phage therapy could offer a safe and effective alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis lung infections.

13 Mar 2017

Scientists evaluate rapid test that detects colistin resistance gene in bacterial isolates

Colistin is used as the "last-resort antibiotic" for dreaded multidrug-resistant pathogens, especially in hospitals. However, gut bacteria that have become insensitive to colistin now exist -- owing to the mobile resistance gene mcr-1. In early 2016, bacteria carrying this resistance gene were detected in Germany for the first time.

6 Feb 2017

Researchers discover how bacterial enzyme can blunt the body's key immune defenses

Scientists have discovered how a unique bacterial enzyme can blunt the body's key weapons in its fight against infection.

20 Jan 2017

Scientists turn iron-scavenging power against common UTI-causing bacteria

For most invading bacteria, the bladder is not a friendly place. But for those that have figured out how to scavenge iron from their hosts, it's a fine place to grow and reproduce.

7 Nov 2016

Researchers identify drug-resistant superbug in Australian domestic animal

The first evidence of a superbug in a domestic cat that could infect humans and livestock has been discovered in Australia.

31 Oct 2016

Penn Medicine awarded CDC grant to develop new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been awarded more than $1 million by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance.

6 Oct 2016

Contaminated poultry may be source of human exposure to MRSA, research shows

A new study offers compelling evidence that a novel form of the dangerous superbug Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can spread to humans through consumption or handling of contaminated poultry.

21 Sep 2016

RIT professor receives federal award for research to help combat threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A Rochester Institute of Technology professor has received a federal award for research that could help in the critical battle to develop new drugs to combat the drastic rise in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

2 Sep 2016

Researchers find new way to kill Staphylococcus aureus bacteria

Scientists have discovered a new way to attack Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The team, from Imperial College London, have revealed how the bacteria regulates its salt levels.

16 Aug 2016

Researchers explain why secondary infection with MRSA kills influenza patients

Researchers have discovered that secondary infection with the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterium (or "superbug") often kills influenza patients because the flu virus alters the antibacterial response of white blood cells, causing them to damage the patients' lungs instead of destroying the bacterium.