Superbug News and Research

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Cleaning patient rooms with combination of chemicals and UV light cuts transmission of superbugs

Healthcare facilities continue to battle drug-resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that loiter on surfaces even after patient rooms have been cleaned and can cause new, sometimes-deadly infections.

8 Oct 2015

Research opens up potential new pathways to vaccine development against HA-MRSA

New research led by NYU Langone Medical Center has uncovered why a particular strain of Staphylococcus aureus -- known as HA-MRSA -- becomes more deadly than other variations. These new findings open up possible new pathways to vaccine development against this bacterium, which the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions says accounts for over 10,000 deaths annually, mostly among hospital patients.

10 Sep 2015

Hospitals can make patients sick, reveals Consumer Reports

Hospitals are thought to be sterile, safe environments where sick people get better, not sicker. But that's not always the case according to a new investigation by Consumer Reports into hospital-acquired infections.

29 Jul 2015

Synthetic sugar could be latest weapon against superbugs

A special type of synthetic sugar could be the latest weapon in the fight against superbugs. A team of scientists from The University of Queensland and Queensland biotechnology company Alchemia have discovered a potential new class of antibiotics inspired by sugar molecules produced by bacteria.

22 Jul 2015

Australian researchers launch global search to discover antibiotics against superbug bacteria

Australian researchers from The University of Queensland have launched a global search to discover antibiotics capable of combating superbug bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotics.

19 Jun 2015

Survey finds first evidence of MRSA in sausages, minced pork from supermarkets in the UK

A survey carried out earlier this year has found the first evidence of the 'superbug' bacteria Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in sausages and minced pork obtained from supermarkets in the UK. However, researchers stress that this does not pose a significant immediate risk to the public.

19 Jun 2015

Common antibiotic azithromycin effectively kills many multidrug-resistant bacteria

Contrary to current medical dogma, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences report that the common antibiotic azithromycin kills many multidrug-resistant bacteria very effectively — when tested under conditions that closely resemble the human body and its natural antimicrobial factors.

11 Jun 2015

Consumer Reports announces commitment to help wipe out 'superbugs'

Consumer Reports, the world's largest and most trusted nonprofit consumer organization, today announced its commitment to help wipe out antibiotic-resistant bacteria or "superbugs." Infections related to the use of antibiotics sicken about 2.25 million Americans each year and kill 37,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Jun 2015

PDA extends support to Johnson & Johnson Kilmer Conference on sterility assurance and sterilization

The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) proudly announces that it will be a supporting organization of the Johnson & Johnson Kilmer Conference on sterility assurance and sterilization in 2016.

29 May 2015

Common tapeworm drug effectively treats MRSA superbugs in lab

A new study provides evidence from lab experiments that a drug already used in people to fight tapeworms might also prove effective against strains of the superbug MRSA, which kills thousands of people a year in the United States.

24 Apr 2015

MRSA bacteria exposed to cigarette smoke become more resistant to antimicrobial peptides

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant superbug, can cause life-threatening skin, bloodstream and surgical site infections or pneumonia. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now report that cigarette smoke may make matters worse.

3 Apr 2015

NIH awards $2.1 million grant to counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Dr. Walter Fast, associate professor of medicinal chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin's College of Pharmacy, a four-year $2.1 million grant to develop small-molecules that counter antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. If successful, the research could lead to new drugs for treating bacterial infections that are resistant to most antibiotics.

1 Apr 2015

Phico Therapeutics gets £2.25M Translation Award to develop SASPject PT4 antibiotic for E. coli, K. pneumoniae

Phico Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing a novel platform technology for a new generation of antibiotics aimed at overcoming antibacterial resistance, has been awarded a £2.25M Translation Award by the Wellcome Trust to develop its SASPject PT4 antibiotic, aimed at Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

9 Mar 2015

TAU researchers identify novel proteins capable of stymieing growth in antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant infections are on the rise, foiling efforts to reduce death rates in developing countries where uncontrolled use of antibiotics and poor sanitation run amok. The epidemic of "superbugs," bacteria resistant to antibiotics, knows no borders -- presenting a clear and present danger around the globe.

31 Jan 2015

Taking antibiotics for diarrhea may put travelers at increased risk for contracting superbugs

Taking antibiotics for diarrhea may put travelers visiting developing parts of the world at higher risk for contracting superbugs and spreading these daunting drug-resistant bacteria to their home countries, according to a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online.

23 Jan 2015

Scientists discover potential solution to antibiotic resistance

A newly developed technique for screening microbes has led to the discovery of a powerful new antibiotic that can easily kill severe infections in mice, without causing side effects.

8 Jan 2015

Hospital treatment far from home: an interview with Paul Lindsell, Managing Director at MindMetre Research

This is a generally accepted piece of received wisdom amongst clinicians and care professionals, which MindMetre validated through a series of qualitative interviews that preceded our quantitative study.

21 Dec 2014

Experts to establish global anti-microbial agenda at 2014 BioInfect Conference

Bionow, a not for profit membership organisation for the biomedical / life-sciences industry, is delighted to be hosting the 2014 BioInfect Conference. A major one day conference looking at the critical issues relating to the development of new anti-infectives and the endemic problem of resistance, will take place at the Alderley Park Conference Centre, Cheshire on the 4th November 2014.

16 Oct 2014

Study suggests that college athletes who play contact sports more likely to carry MRSA

Even if they don't show signs of infection, college athletes who play football, soccer and other contact sports are more likely to carry the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), suggests a study on MRSA and athletes, which is being presented at IDWeek 2014-.

10 Oct 2014

Universal MRSA screening may be too costly for individual hospital to adopt

Numerous experts and policy makers have called for hospitals to screen patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and isolate anyone testing positive to prevent the spread of these so-called "Superbugs" in healthcare settings.

8 Oct 2014