Researchers have identified a new compound that in preliminary testing has shown itself to be as effective as FDA-approved antibiotics in treating life-threatening infections while also appearing to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance. The compound, called F6, has been potent against antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is often found in hospitals… Continue reading New Compound as Effective as FDA-Approved Drugs against Life-Threatening Infections
Tag: MRSA
Antibiotics for Simple Staph Infections?
Although the overuse of antibiotics has raised concerns about whether to give the medicines to children with simple staph infections, new research indicates that doing so may reduce the risk of such infections later on. That conclusion was reached by investigators led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It was published online… Continue reading Antibiotics for Simple Staph Infections?
New Antibiotic Packs a Punch Against Bacterial Resistance
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, CA have given new superpowers to a lifesaving antibiotic called vancomycin, an advance that could eliminate the threat of antibiotic-resistant infections for years to come. The researchers, led by Dale Boger, co-chair of TSRI’s Department of Chemistry, discovered a way to structurally modify vancomycin to… Continue reading New Antibiotic Packs a Punch Against Bacterial Resistance
Ultraviolet Light Helps Battle Superbugs
Ultraviolet light could help in keeping drug-resistant bacteria from lingering in patients’ rooms and causing new infections, researchers say The new tool is known as UVC. Some hospitals have already begun using UVC machines in addition to standard chemical disinfection to kill potentially dangerous bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but research on their… Continue reading Ultraviolet Light Helps Battle Superbugs
Cutting-Edge Technology Sheds Light on Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotics work for most patients with a bacterial infection, but they may not for all infections. Public health agencies around the world are dealing with the growing challenge of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which can make these medications ineffective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that every year at least 2 million… Continue reading Cutting-Edge Technology Sheds Light on Antibiotic Resistance
A New Weapon to Fight MRSA?
Researchers have discovered that a new class of antimicrobials may help in the fight against the drug-resistant MRSA superbug. The Georgia State University study showed that small molecule analogs that target the functions of SecA, a central part of the general bacterial secretion system required for viability and virulence, have potent antimicrobial activities. Their findings… Continue reading A New Weapon to Fight MRSA?
Chestnut Leaf Extract Disarms Deadly Staph Bacteria
Leaves of the European chestnut tree contain ingredients with the power to disarm dangerous staph bacteria without boosting its drug resistance, scientists at Emory University in Atlanta have found. The study was published in August 2015 in PLOS ONE. The team reports that a chestnut leaf extract, rich in ursene and oleanene derivatives, blocks Staphlococcus… Continue reading Chestnut Leaf Extract Disarms Deadly Staph Bacteria
High rates of MRSA Transmission Between Nursing Home Residents and Health-Care Workers
Healthcare workers frequently contaminate their gloves and gowns with drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA during routine care of nursing homes residents. That is the finding of a study published in May 2015 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. A release from the society quotes… Continue reading High rates of MRSA Transmission Between Nursing Home Residents and Health-Care Workers
Off-Patent Antibiotics Effectively Combat MRSA Skin Infections
Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have found that two common antibiotic treatments work equally well against bacterial skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired outside of hospital settings. Known as community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, these skin infections have been… Continue reading Off-Patent Antibiotics Effectively Combat MRSA Skin Infections
Bacteria Hides in Hospitals
Every day, more than 200 Americans die due to healthcare-associated hospital infectionsand about one in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. Here, from Abbott Diabetes Care, is a list of six places where bacteria hide in the hospitals and ways to prevent the bacteria from infecting you. Flowers– Water and natural sugars… Continue reading Bacteria Hides in Hospitals
A New Antibiotic Could Conquer Superbugs
A newly discovered antibiotic eliminates pathogens without meeting any resistance – and the discovery could pave the way for treating highly resistant infections caused by tuberculosis and MRSA. The discovery, by researchers from Northeastern University, was published in the journal Nature. The antibiotic, called teixobactin, is the first for which there have been no identifiable… Continue reading A New Antibiotic Could Conquer Superbugs
Predicting Superbugs’ Countermoves to New Drugs
With drug-resistant bacteria on the rise, even common infections that were easily controlled for decades such as pneumonia or urinary tract infections are proving trickier to treat with standard antibiotics.New drugs are desperately needed, but so are ways to maximize the effective lifespan of these drugs. To accomplish that, Duke University researchers used software they… Continue reading Predicting Superbugs’ Countermoves to New Drugs
Surprise! Fat Cells Below the Skin Protect Us from Sepsis
In a paper published in the January 2nd 2015 issue of Science, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report the surprising discovery that fat cells below the skin help protect us from bacteria. Richard Gallo, MD, PhD, professor and chief of dermatology at UC San Diego School of Medicine and… Continue reading Surprise! Fat Cells Below the Skin Protect Us from Sepsis
Vaccine Holds Hope of Preventing MRSA
Research reported online in December 2014 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA holds new hope for preventing or reducing the severity of infections caused by the “superbug” MRSA. In the study, infectious disease specialists at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) reported that a new… Continue reading Vaccine Holds Hope of Preventing MRSA
New Ways to Combat MRSA in Hospitals
New guidelines aim to reduce the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), improve patient safety and prioritize current prevention efforts underway in hospitals. This drug resistant bacterium is a common source of patient morbidity and mortality in U.S. hospitals, causing nearly twice the number of deaths, significantly longer hospital stays and higher hospital costs than other forms of the bacteria.
Germs on a Plane
If you’re planning a summer trip that involves air travel, be sure to bring along plenty of hand sanitizer. According to data presented in May 2014 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, disease-causing bacteria can linger on surfaces in airplane cabins for up to a week.